A Kiwi business with a reputation for world-first innovations is continuing to make sport accessible to all with the official launch of Packaline – temporary indoor line markings designed for use in leisure and recreation centres.
Designed by Wellington’s Packaworld International, Packaline allows leisure facility managers and sports coordinators to mark temporary courts of play without damage to expensive flooring.
Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said the lines were originally designed for the Paralympic sport of boccia, which is played by athletes in wheelchairs.
“Our lines are specially designed to sit on top of the floor, allowing them to be rolled out and rolled up as needed. Most leisure centres do not have permanently marked boccia courts and many will not allow the use of adhesive tape because of the damage it can cause.”
The Packaline solution has already generated global interest, with early sales to national sports bodies and leisure centres in New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Europe.
Among the national sports bodies to have taken up the product is Boccia New Zealand, which has trialled the lines and provided feedback that will inform future development.
Boccia New Zealand Director Scott Martin said the new temporary lines were ideal for sports like boccia that aren’t always well served by existing leisure infrastructure.
“The athletes enjoy playing on them and they are going to make it so much easier for us to take boccia to new locations and communities. We hope they are going to make it into schools.”
Some sports organisers and leisure centre managers have utilised Packalines for other indoor sports too, citing their versatility and cost-effectiveness.
Eric Funderburk, Facility Manager at Crooked Creek Park in Iowa, USA, said the lines were initially purchased for volleyball but his staff have since found other uses for them – such as camp activities and to denote “safe areas” of games.
“The main benefit we saw in the Packaline product was the ability to set up temporary volleyball court dimensions for two-hour sessions without the permanency – and clutter – of additional painted lines or the surface damage adhesive lines cause,” he said.
The temporary court line markings come in light blue as standard. They are made of special grade rubber that sits on top of the floor, allowing for easy setup and convenient storage.
Packaworld’s extensive range of products includes inflatable courts and goals for sports such as football, water polo, hockey, bocce, goalball and rugby, as well as compact benches and portable, inflatable advertising hoardings.
Boccia, similar to bocce ball, is a sport played by wheelchair-bound athletes wherein the ball is thrown, kicked or propelled with the help of a ramp.
The inclusive ball game appeared at the 1984 Paralympics and has since been growing in popularity at a rapid pace. It is also featured at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics.
