Having the proper lighting on the sports field is crucial for the success of any sports event. The athletes enjoy better visibility, the audience feel amused by the game played, and the TV broadcast is better. 

Over the years, LED lighting has proved to be an excellent choice for indoor and outdoor stadium lights, as it provides the needed illumination at night or in the absence or inconsistency of natural daylight. In some cases, LED lights are even used by day because they provide uniform visibility and illumination across the stadium. 

Still, you need to make sure that you're installing suitable lumens for stadium lights because the wrong number of lumens will affect the playing experience. So, what are the basics of choosing the right lumens for stadium lighting? How do different sports have different requirements? Keep reading to find the answers to all your questions. 

What is the Difference Between Lumens and LUX in Stadium Lighting?

Before explaining the factors that need to be considered in choosing the right lumens for stadium lights, we must explain the difference between the two concepts; both of them are related to lighting technologies. These are lumens and lux. 

A lumen, also known as luminous flux, is the amount of visible light or luminance produced from a bulb or any light source. In stadium lighting, it refers to the number of illuminations produced by the lighting system installed.  

A lux is a unit of measurement of light intensity, which refers to illumination. It's equal to the illumination of one square meter of surface placed 1 meter away from a candle. So, it's equal to one lumen per square meter, showing the total amount of light and its intensity. 

So, if 1000 lumens are concentrated in an area of 1 square meter, the light will provide an illuminance of 1000 lux. The same light source will provide 200 lux if spread over an area of 5 meters square. 

Both concepts are essential in choosing stadium lights because you want to know the luminance of your LED lighting system and how intense the light will be. A focused beam of light will provide more illumination, even if the number of lumens is stable. 

How Many Lumens Are Needed in Stadium Lighting?

When you're trying to calculate the number of lumens needed for stadium lighting, you shouldn't ignore a crucial concept; wattage. The wattage refers to the power used to produce the light or lumens. So, you need to calculate the watts needed and the luminous effectiveness to determine the number of lumens needed for stadium lighting. 

In general, LED lights have a lumen efficacy of 150lm/W, but you must also consider the lux of these lights, as the light becomes less intense when it travels a greater distance. The lumens will be calculated by calculating the number of watts multiplied by the lumen efficacy measured in lumens per watt. This can be calculated according to this formula:

Lumens = Watts X (lm/W)

So, for 1000W stadium lights, we'll have 150,000 lumens if the efficacy of a single one is 150lm/W.

You can also calculate the needed lumens according to the area you want to illuminate. For example, if you have a stadium of 100 square meters area and the needed lux is 300 lux, you can multiply both numbers to get the number of lumens. In this case, the required lumens will be 30,000 lumens. 

The Needed Lumens for Different Sports

Every type of sport has its own rules, including the number of lumens needed on the field or sports stadium. These requirements are usually set by the organizational bodies that govern these sports, and they set these rules to guarantee a better athletic experience for everyone involved. 

Within the same sports, the requirements also differ based on the nature of the game. For example, in training sessions, the illumination needs might be less. The following tables explain how to calculate the right lumens based on the lux requirements. 

Generic Field that Can be Used for Any Sports Event

Dimensions: 64 X 100 meter

Football Pitch 

Dimensions: 64X100 meter

Tennis Court for a Single Match

Dimensions: 8.23 X 10.97 meter

Tennis Court for a Double Match

Dimensions: 10.97 X 23.77 meter 

Hockey Field

Dimensions: 55X 91.4 meter 

Basketball Court

Dimensions: 15 X 28 meter

Volleyball Court

Dimensions: 9 X 18 meter

Conclusion

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Calculating and installing the right lumens is crucial for the success of any sports event. LED lighting is appropriate for stadium lighting, but you must consider the lux requirements based on the stadium's area to calculate the right lumens to improve the playing and viewing experience.