Stretch tents for sports events – there’s simply no competition

The thing about outdoor sports anywhere in the UK – from Land’s End to London, via Hertfordshire and the Home Counties to the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides –

is that they tend to happen, well, outdoors… And that means they’re subject to the famously unhelpful Great British Weather. The cold and wet, or even occasionally the heat, might be tolerable for the adrenaline-fuelled competitors on the pitch, court, pool, track etc., at least while they’re actually playing… But what about the spectators and supporters? Unless they’re watching an elite event in a huge stadium, they’re generally left literally out in the cold (or in the heat).

Nothing new there – after all, that’s what the traditional school or club sports pavilion’s for. Trouble is, you can’t take them with you when the team travels – and when the stakes get higher and attendance doubles your average sports club can’t just build a new one.

So that’s when you start talking tents. And even in the 21^st century, many people’s thoughts turn automatically to the old-fashioned marquee, either the classic poles and guy-ropes kind or an ‘A-frame’… And, as they have for centuries, they’ll do the job of keeping people under cover quite well, as long as you have a suitably spacious setting on flat and even terrain.

But if you’re looking for a solution that’s way beyond ‘adequate’ – A really versatile one that calls for words like ‘stunning’ and even, dare we say it, ‘sexy’ – you really need a stretch tent: the 21^st century alternative to old school marquees. 

They’re cool in summer and amazingly cosy in winter – because you can open them up wide or stretch them down to the ground to keep the wind and rain at bay. Add skirts, side panels, doorways and even heating and your stretch tent’s totally weatherproof – every bit as comfortable as the pavilion or clubhouse. Unlike unwieldy oblong marquees, they’re utterly versatile, adapting to almost any setting and taking slopes and obstacles in their stride. They’re also far quicker to erect and take down – but above all, it’s those stunning, stylish curves that make a massive difference…. They create convivial, welcoming and sociable spaces that people are drawn to. And that they enjoy being in.

Of course, we would say that. After all, we’re self-confessed stretch tent fans. But the facts speak for themselves – and whether it’s a ‘pavilion’ for a cricket or rugby match, a bar or buffet, a swimming pool awning or a temporary ‘grandstand’ for a regatta, race or fun run, we think you’ll agree that for sport and other leisure events, there’s really no competition. 

Click here to find out more about how a stretch beats a marquee for a festival – or even come and see them in their natural habitat at our Hertfordshire base, just half an hour from London.