What Are Bleachers?

Whether you are looking to build or renovate a stadium or arena that you own, or a fan ready to purchase tickets to an upcoming sporting event, it is important to know the pros and cons of your seating options. Bleachers, named after the bleached look that wood bleachers would take on after months in the sun, offer a mass seating option which is often a cheaper alternative to individual seating.

  1. Bleacher Basics

    • Bleachers are seating featuring long rows of benches arranged in tiers. Unlike stadium seating where each individual is provided with a clearly defined seat, denoted by arm rests and gaps, bleachers allow for more freedom in how the seats are assigned. Bleacher seating is used in both outdoor stadiums as well as indoor gyms and arenas.

    Types of Bleachers

    • Bleachers come in a variety of styles and materials. While wood bleachers used to be common, at the highest level of professional stadiums they are much less likely to still be in use today, replaced instead with plastic or metal bleachers. Outdoor bleachers can be large, covering an entire half of a football field, or small sets that only feature three to four rows that each hold less than 10 patrons. In addition to permanently fixed bleachers, pull-out bleachers are available for stadiums or gyms with multiple uses. The bleachers are pulled out for sports that do not require as much space, allowing for more seating, but retracted when a sport with a larger playing area takes place.

    Pros of Bleachers

    • Bleacher seating brings many advantages to both the owners of the arena as well as the fans. The functionality of pull-out bleachers allows for more events to occur in the same place. Multiple basketball courts can be spread across the gymnasium or a trade show could be held. By not specifying directly where a seat begins and ends, bleachers provide more flexibility for fans in attendance, as well as to those selling the tickets for non-numbered bleachers. Additionally, bleacher seating is often a bargain for fans as it is commonly less expensive.

    Cons of Bleachers

    • Due to the often undefined nature of what constitutes a seat, bleachers have the potential to become very crowded. As a small-scale problem, this can lead to discomfort for the fans in attendance who are deprived of personal space. If overcrowding is taken too far, it changes from uncomfortable to a potential safety hazard.