Hunts’ heroes of Dunkirk and WWII
Norris Museum curator Bob Burn-Murdoch takes a look at Dunkirk and the men from Huntingdonshire who played their part. EVENTS were held recently to commemorate the anniversary of Dunkirk.

How To Install A Basketball Post

To install a basketball goal post in the ground it is important to first determine if you want to install a "permanent" post or a "removable" post.

Permanent posts- are installed by first determining the location where you want the post to be located. This is usually determined by taking into account the "overhang" of your basketball goal (overhang is the distance from the front of the backboard to the front of the pole) Once you have determined where you want the post to be located check with your local utility company to make sure there are no lines to interfere with digging the hole. The footing hole diameter will vary from 12"-24" and 36"-48" deep depending on the basketball system you buy. Dig the hole to the correct depth per the assembly instructions and then insert the pole into the empty hole. The top of your concrete footing will look nice if you build a wooden square out of 2"x4" material to create a "form" for the top of the footing, this will keep the concrete square at the top and look really nice after the concrete has set. Once your "form" is ready simply mix and pour your concrete into the hole around the post. I suggest keeping the bottom of the post tight against the dirt at the bottom of the hole while pouring concrete around the basketball post. This will allow the condensation that naturally collects inside the post to drain out into the dirt below. After the concrete is poured into the hole, use a 4' level to get the post plumb front to back and side to side. When post is level, brace post using 2'x4''s or other method to make sure it does not move while concrete cures. Allow concrete to cure for a minimum of 48 hours before proceeding.

Removable posts - there are two types of removable posts. Type 1 is a post just like discussed above but with the inclusion of a "sleeve" that is cemented into the footing. The post is then inserted into the sleeve after the concrete has cured, this allows the post to be removed later if necessary. Higher quality sleeves have welded nuts around the top perimeter of the sleeve which allow you to level the post front to back and side to side after installation is complete. You can view the installation instructions for one such sleeve by clicking here http://www.firstteaminc.com/ft16.php

The second (and more popular) type of removable post is the "anchor system" A basketball post utilizing an anchor system has a plate welded on the bottom and 4 anchor bolts. To install a basketball post with an anchor system, follow all the steps mentioned above regarding locating and digging your hole. Typically, there is a metal anchor "template" provided along with four "J" shaped anchor bolts. These anchor bolts are fixed to the template prior to pouring the concrete. When concrete is poured you simply insert the template/j-bolt assembly into the wet concrete making sure to keep the anchor bolts square to your playing surface. When concrete is cured loosen and remove the anchor template from the top of the concrete footing. What you now have is 4 threaded studs sticking up above the concrete footing. Typically at this point you will be asked to run a nut down onto each threaded stud against the top of the concrete. Then lower the post with the baseplate down onto the four studs. The post can then be secured to the studs with the remaining nuts provided with your unit. You can then level the post front to back and side to side by adjusting the leveling nuts located underneath your baseplate. You can see an example of a very popular basketball system that uses an anchor system by clicking here http://www.firstteaminc.com/attackseries.php

Hopefully this information is helpful regarding installation of various types of basketball posts. If you need help selecting a basketball system for your home you may want to check out the following website http://www.firstteaminc.com/

About the Author

Jeff Roth has been involved in the design and manufacture of basketball goals and sports equipment for over 16 years. He is employed at First Team Sports, Inc. in Hutchinson, KS. Learn all about First Team's full line of sports equipment at www.firstteaminc.com Made in the USA basketball hoops