The answer to how much artificial grass for a netball court you need is not one number. It has three parts: 465.1 m² inside the lines, 629.6 m² at minimum run-off, and 781.4 m² at 3.05 m all round. The third footprint takes 9 rolls of 4 m turf, and that is the figure that belongs in a purchase order.
The 465 m² figure describes the playing area alone. Run-off must be the same surface type and level as the court, so it is turf you buy rather than spare ground. We plan court work from the strip layout first, because a 30.5 m court does not fit a 25 m roll. The same ladder governs basketball court dimensions, where a 2 m boundary lane takes the role run-off plays here.
Three Numbers: 465, 630 and 781 m²
Each number answers a different question. 465.125 m² is 30.5 m by 15.25 m, the marked area inside the lines. 629.625 m² is 34.5 m by 18.25 m, the court plus the minimum run-off England Netball accepts. 781.41 m² is 36.6 m by 21.35 m, the court plus the 3.05 m surround World Netball describes.
Only the largest of the three supports a full school or club build. An order placed on 465 m² leaves the run-off bare, and that gap tends to appear at handover, once the perimeter is already fixed. The 1.5 m and 2.0 m alternatives come from the England Netball domestic run-off guidance.
On 4 m rolls the three areas take 5, 8 and 9 rolls. That count is not area divided by 100 m². It is strips across the width multiplied by pieces along the length, and both figures come from the court plan.
The gap between 5 and 9 rolls is the run-off decision, not the roll width. It is also the step that most netball quotations skip.
Court Geometry Before You Buy Any Turf
The court is a rectangle of two goal lines and two side lines. Two transverse lines split the length into thirds of 10.167 m each, which matters later when a seam has to land somewhere sensible.
Lines are 50 mm wide and count as part of the area they bound. That is why 465.125 m² already includes every marking, and why no line allowance gets added on top.
- Side lines measure 30.5 m and goal lines measure 15.25 m.
- The goal circle is a 4.9 m radius semicircle centred on the outside of the goal line.
- The centre circle is 0.9 m across and adds no separate area.
- An outdoor court falls 1% in both directions, or 1% diagonally on one plane.
International netball is played indoors on sprung wood. Outdoor turf serves schools, clubs and shared community sites. The World Netball court and court surround dimensions set the 3.05 m surround and permit any other material that is safe to play on.
A covered court needs 7.5 m clear height above the playing area, falling to 4.5 m at the lowest point over the run-off. Permission is not approval, so a turf specification stands on its own test figures rather than on a rulebook clause.
Run-Off Adds 164 to 389 Square Metres
Run-off is the strip outside the lines where a player lands after a sprint, and it is paved. Four published figures cover it, and each one belongs to a different level of play.
The ladder below starts at the marked area and ends with two courts sharing a single gap. Badminton stretches the same way, from 81.74 m² of court to 158.34 m² of clearance floor.
| Layout | Plan size | Turf area | Change against the court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court only | 30.5 × 15.25 m | 465.125 m² | None |
| Minimum run-off, 1.5 m side and 2.0 m end | 34.5 × 18.25 m | 629.625 m² | +164.5 m² |
| 3.05 m surround on four sides | 36.6 × 21.35 m | 781.41 m² | +316.285 m² |
| 3.05 m surround plus a 2.0 m team strip | 36.6 × 23.35 m | 854.61 m² | +389.485 m² |