We want to wish all our sporting customers & suppliers a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. Thanks for all your support and business throughout 2011 and we’re looking forward to working with you again in 2012, creating new relationship and strengthening current ones.
Christmas Schedule.
We will be open until tomorrow 22 December @ 1pm until Tuesday the 3rd of January. We will be checking your sporting emails over the holiday period.
We have supplied & installed electronic scoreboards in Irish schools which conform to the Department of Education school standards for several years now. Recently we have started to supply GAA clubs around the country with LED (light emitting diode) scoreboards.
All electronic design, control circuits and electronic assembly is completed in Ireland which means we don’t depend on other companies for specialised parts or technical support.
Advantages of an L.E.D Scoreboard
Lightweight and easy to install (1 hour installation when outdoor poles are in place.)
Simple to operate, see below.
No maintenance & Low operating costs.
Long life span.
GAA Club scoreboards available in 2 sizes.
GAA Scoreboard Basic Construction.
The GAA scoreboard is fabricated from an aluminium composite sheet with aluminium sign rails glued and riveted to the rear. The displays are surrounded by a welded and galvanized light guage steel frame. The displays are protected by a 4mm polycarbonate front. A weather proof box at the rear houses the mains power supply unit. The GAA team names are yellow vinyl letters on black plastic tiles which stick to the scoreboard. The GAA scoreboard is made for simple mounting on 2 steel poles, very similar to a road signage, the scoreboard can also be wall mounted.
The GAA Club Scoreboard Displays.
The GAA scoreboard displays or digits are probably the most important part of the product and determines the final cost. It is very important to understand the display in order to compare different GAA scoreboards.
We use led (light emitting diode) displays. The leds are made by Cree, a world leader in optoelectronics. The scoreboard display type we use for scores is known as a “seven segment display”. This means there are seven segments arranged as an 8. The combination of segments that are lit determines the number displayed.
GAA Club Scoreboard Viewing Distances & Sizes.
The height of the display is what determines the viewing distance. Our GAA scoreboards are available in two sizes; 450mm (18 inches) high digits giving a viewing distance of 600 feet ( 180 meters) and 380mm (15 inch) high digit giving a viewing distance of 460 feet (140 meters).
A frequently overlooked characteristic of a digit is the number of leds per display. This is a bit like comparing standard TV with HDTV. Our large scoreboard digits are available in 2 formats, Standard and HD.
Standard; each segment is made up of 36 individual leds or 252 leds per digit.
HD; each segment is made up of 64 leds or 448 leds per digit.
The digits are available in 2 colours, Amber and White. White is more costly to produce.
GAA Scoreboard Operation made simple.
As the scoreboard will be operated by a variety of people from all walks of life it is important to keep the operation as simple as possible. There are four toggle switches on the remote control. They can be pushed up or down. The 2 top switches operates the upper score on the scoreboard. The 2 bottom switches operates the lower score on the scoreboard. A score is added by pushing the appropriate switch up and a score is subtracted by pushing the appropriate switch down.
To Reset; Hold the top right switch up for more than 5 seconds. Operating range up to 200 meters. Powered by standard 9 Volt (PP3) battery.
For sales (postal or digital) marketing information on our GAA Club Scoreboards please contact Niall Clancy; niall@fitnessfunctions.ie
Fitness Functions are offering a free set of Outdoor Basketball Safety Padding (worth €230 ex Vat). This outdoor basketball offer has run from early October until 30th November. This safety padding is specifically made for Department of Education Outdoor Basketball sets. These basketball units are ideally suited to Irish schools & sports clubs.
Claiming your free Outdoor Basketball Padding?
To avail of this offer simply mention/reference ‘Blog Basketball Padding Offer‘ when ordering, emailniall@fitnessfunctions.ie
Department of Education Outdoor Basketball Sets comprise of the following:
Unfortunately we have been encountering some technical difficulties with our main website request forms; not all of your Sports Equipment Catalogue, Playground Markings & GAA equipment website requests reached us. We’re now glad to say that this website request issue has been resolved and we have contacted all those who had submitted the following requests:
**Our Playground marking requests & pricelists are currently being emailed & posted. Thank you for your patience, sorry for any inconvenience and our sincere apologies.
The Ski Club of Ireland, based in Kilternan, South County Dublin is responsible for the promotion & development of skiing and snowboarding in Ireland.
Sports Safety Impact Padding.
Fitness Functions manufactured, supplied and installed the high impact padding for the Ski Club of Ireland’s 130 meter and nursery slopes. This type of padding will assist, redirect and protect any wayward skiers or snowboarders.
The specialist padding was finished in an easily cleaned vinyl covering while also taking into account weather-proof requirements. We project managed all works relating to this specialist padding and under a tight time schedule.
Ski Club of Ireland facilities:
180m main slope
130m intermediate slope
2 dedicated nursery slopes with sprinkler system and travelator lift
2 button lifts
Slopes are fully floodlit and lubricated by a misting system
Over the last few months they have significantly added to their facilities assisted by the Sports Council of Ireland. Approximately €1.5m has been invested in the site, these new facilities have been open to the public since the 6th November.
Fitness Functions produce various types of standard & bespoke padding:
Sports post padding – Basketball, rugby/goal posts & wall padding.
Column or pillar padding – for bike sheds and covered areas.
Edge padding – for projecting brick work, corners of buildings.
Fence post padding – for protection where fencing is near to sports courts.
End wall padding – for the end, or side, wall of your sports hall where run off areas are limited.
For more (postal or digital) marketing information on our safety padding please contact Niall Clancy; niall@fitnessfunctions.ie
Fitness Functions can supply and install a full range of traditional climbing frames and gymnastic wall bars. Our own skilled craftsmen produce climbing frames to your exact requirements with safety and correct fitting procedures strictly adhered to.
Climbing frames are one of the most versatile items of equipment in any school or modern sports centre. We primarily make 2 types of climbing frames; ‘Y frame’ and ’2 panel’ climbing frames.
“Y” type climbing frame of 3 panels each approximately 2.75m high by 2.45m wide constructed of Grade “A” timber standards and 32mm diameter cross bars. To be colour powder coated.
No.1 panel: To have one only section with ladder spacing, one only rope ladder and one only vertical pole.
No2. panel: Four section wide, one only section to have approximately five only metal rings, the other panels to have cross bars to be at Wallbar/Window ladder spacings. (Colour powder coated.)
No.3 panel: Four sections wide with alloy cross bars to be at Wallbar/Windowladder spacings. (Colour powder coated.) “Y” frame to be held secure in the outworking position by stay wires and tension handle, all folding back against the wall when not in use.
2 Panel Climbing Frame.
Sample 2 Panel Hinged Agility unit climbing frame specification:
Comprising of two panels approximately 3000mm high by 2450mm wide. Each four sections wide, constructed in Grade “A” timber standards and approximately 12 only 3mm diameter alloy tubes at wallbar /window ladder spacings.
Units to hinge from the wall at 90 degs and held secure by means of stay wires and quick release handle, connected at top outside standard by 63mm diameter steel tube. The unit to fold back against the wall and held in locking position when not in use. (With 3 best hemp climbing ropes.)
All metal crossbars and fittings colour powder coated, 3 primary colours. For more (postal or digital) marketing information on these climbing frames contact Niall Clancy; niall@fitnessfunctions.ie
New Indoor Basketball for a Premium GAA Sports hall.
St. Patricks GAA Club contacted Fitness Functions to install main indoor basketball units in their new multi purpose sports hall. St. Patricks GAA Club have been working on their extremely impressive facility for the past three years. It’s a testament to the all the hard work and dedication of the committee & club members and surely now ranks with the premium GAA club facilities in Ireland.
St. Patricks GAA Club today has the following:
three playing pitches
running track
club house including 4 dressing rooms, multi purpose function rooms, sports shop, reception and office
multi purpose sports hall
Our installation.
For our part, Fitness Functions installed the following:
2 x Main Indoor Basketball Units to National League standard, side folding
Sports hall indoor line marking.
If you require any further marketing information on Indoor Basketball units or our GAA sports equipment range, please don’t hesitate to contact us, niall@fitnessfunctions.ie
Firstly, a massive thanks to all those teachers and schools who expressed an interest in our €250 School Sports competition. The response from our Facebook page and at the IPPEA Conference, was so positive it has encourgaged us to run even more schools draws and competitions.
School Sports Equipment Gift Voucher
The Winning School.
Without any further delay the winning school entrant was Galway Community College, Moneenageisha, Co. Galway entered by Claire Quinn and Susie Cunnigham who can take equal credit.
A massive congratulations from everyone here in Fitness Functions and once again, thanks to all that entered.
The School Draw.
To ensure complete independence we used the little device below to select the School winner. You can even try it yourself.
This years PEAI conference was held in Ballincollig, Co. Cork on the 14th & 15th October. We would like to thank the PEAI organising committee and all those teachers for their interest and questions over the weekend.
The PEAI organising committee evidently put many hours of planning into this successful event with lectures, forums and workshops all being co-ordinated throughout the days. Keynote lectures & presentations were given by respected figures and on the practical side there was everything from volleyball, badminton, ultimate Frisbee, rugby and Gaelic football sessions.
A number of teachers expressed interest in entering our schools Facebook competition at PEAI conference and we were receiving entries yesterday evening. We want to give those schools/teachers a fair chance of entering the competition so the draw will now be made this Friday 21st October. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused but believe that this is the fairest option.
“The Billis NS recently invested in playground markings (hopscotch, adventure trail, dinosaur prints, teddy prints and a snake) for our new playground area. They have exceeded our expectations! The adventure trail is particularly impressive. The children have been using them every day, increasing their physical activity at lunch-time. The service given by Fitness Functions was excellent-they came when they said they would, stayed until the job was finished and left the playground neat and tidy. Top marks!”
‘Thermoplastic’ playground markings were what Ruth Williamson requested for the school (less than 70 pupils) during the summer. She wanted playground markings that would be enjoyed by the children for many years to come. After an email or two, all the details were confirmed and we applied the thermosplastic markings to Billis National School schools yard last month. The playground markings were:
Numbered snake 1-10
Dinosaur prints
Hopscotch 1-10
Paw prints
Activity trail
The short (1 minute) video below shows how we applied the thermoplastic markings. For more marketing information, videos or photo galleries please email Niall Clancy; niall@fitnessfunctions.ie
