Floodlighting on football and sports grounds is an expensive part of a construction project….In fact, sometimes as much as a quarter of the costs — and with raises in electricity costs it’s no wonder that LED floodlights are becoming the more popular choice.
All football pitches must receive planning permission and stipulate illumination levels but must also consider minimising glare and light pollution, which may affect local residents. Where no stipulation is made levels of performance should be in accordance with FIFA’s Class II — which for an 11 a side pitch (120m x 90m) the minimum maintained 500 lux should be used to meet the minimum requirements for television broadcasts, evening matches, players and spectators. For hockey games the minimum average illumination should be between 500 and 750 lux depending on the levels of play.
Choosing the right floodlights is a very time consuming process especially when taking into consideration lighting maintenance which can have an incredible knock on effect if the system is not maintained correctly and tested regularly. For premier league grounds the lighting standard is usually a total of 48 lamps, each shining at 2kW.
Each LED floodlight has a combined power of 96kW, each game is approx. 3.5 hours long, meaning the combined kW is 1344Wh energy! Using an average electricity cost of £15.32 per kWh means that one game of football costs £205 per game. Per year, taking into consideration all home games will cost the club £3,912.*
Typically metal halide floodlighting lamps will need to be replaced every three seasons to maintain the required lighting levels — the LED floodlight should last up to 10 seasons, a significant difference and cost saving solution to normal lighting systems.
Fact: The very first stadium to play under LED floodlighting was in 2014 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 12th August.
Not only is the LED a cost effective alternative but it delivers high definition, flicker-free, slow motion images which consequently provide a fantastic viewing experience for fans.
*Source British Gas
