What is a MUGA? Sizes, surfaces, costs and covering one
A plain guide to multi-use games areas and roofing one over.
By Diane Dreha, Director Updated
A MUGA, a multi-use games area, is a hard-surfaced, fenced outdoor court marked for several sports at once, typically football, netball, basketball and tennis. Roofing one with a covered MUGA canopy keeps it in use through rain and strong sun, without enclosing it as an indoor sports hall.
What does MUGA stand for, and what is it?
MUGA stands for multi-use games area. It is an all-weather court, usually tarmac or a polymeric or artificial-grass surface, enclosed by rebound fencing and line-marked so one space serves several sports. Schools, colleges and councils use them to get far more play and PE out of a single footprint than a single-sport pitch would give.
What sizes are MUGAs?
There is no single size. A compact MUGA can be built around a five-a-side football court, while a larger one is sized to take a netball or basketball court plus tennis. Sport England publishes design guidance on court dimensions and run-off, which is the right reference when you are setting out the area itself. When we cover a MUGA, we size the canopy to the court and the clear height the sports need, and confirm both at survey.
What surfaces are used?
The common surfaces are bitmac (tarmac), polymeric rubber and artificial grass, each chosen for the sports and the level of play. The surface is a separate trade from the cover: we design and install the steel canopy over an existing or newly laid MUGA rather than laying the court itself.
How much does it cost to cover a MUGA?
The cost of a MUGA cover is driven by the span, the clear height and the roof, not by a flat rate, because a canopy over a full court is a large clear-span steel structure. Rather than quote a headline figure here, we give the current price range on the covered MUGA canopies page and confirm the figure for your court after a site survey. The court surface and fencing are costed separately by whoever lays them.
Do you need planning permission to cover a MUGA?
On a school, college, university or hospital site, roofing a MUGA is often permitted development under Class M of Part 7 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, which allows the erection, extension or alteration of a school, college, university or hospital building within set limits. Those limits include a cap on added footprint (the greater of 25% of the existing footprint or 250 square metres), height limits near the boundary, and a rule that the work must not reduce the use of a playing field. The limits and how they apply to your site are a matter for your local planning authority, so confirm before you order. See the planning guide below for the detail.
Sources
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 7, Class M (legislation.gov.uk)
- Sport England: multi-use games areas guidance
This guide is general information, not planning or legal advice. Rules change and depend on your site, so confirm the position with your local planning authority, building control or the relevant funding body before you order.