For decades, halogen bulbs dominated the arena of stadium lights, but modern technologies are currently taking over because they offer several benefits. The lights set up on the football pitch won't only affect the players' performance as they impact visibility. Still, they also affect the audience's experiences, whether they're watching a live match or a TV broadcast.
LED lights check all the boxes when it comes to choosing the right stadium lights. In this article, we'll explain everything about them.
Benefits of LED Stadium Lights on the Football Pitch
Choosing stadium lighting should meet the needs of football officials, players, audience, and broadcast media. The requirements change based on different factors like whether the nature of the game and whether it will be broadcasted or not.
On the football pitch, every little detail counts. Players are affected by the weather, sounds of the crowds, status of the pitch, and of course, the lighting.
This is why it's crucial to choose adequate lighting technology that enhances visibility while reducing glare. Luckily, LED lights perfectly fit these criteria as they're designed to provide better illumination in indoor and outdoor sports field applications. Here are some benefits of choosing LED lighting on the football pitch.
Power Saving
LED lights are designed to provide the needed illumination with less energy consumption, offering about a 75% reduction on energy consumption. Football pitches come in different sizes, but the most preferred dimensions are 115 yds × 74 yds.
For a standard-sized pitch, using LED lights decreases energy consumption in the short and long-run when compared to other lighting technologies like halogen bulbs.
Long Life
Compared to other lighting mechanisms, LED lights have a longer life. For example, halogen bulbs last between 12,000 and 20,000, while LED bulbs are designed to last for up to 100,000 hours.
In the long run, you'll be spending less money on replacing bulbs, which again decreases the overall operational costs.
Maintenance
Compared to traditional lighting, LED lights greatly reduce maintenance costs. Combining explosion -proof lighting enclosures allows the luminaire to operate in challenging conditions.
These bulbs have reflectors that protect the lamp from getting too hot, guaranteeing that it won't malfunction. Because they remain cold to touch, LED lights can be easily handled by hand if they need to be replaced on the spot. Outdoor bulbs are designed to be weather and waterproof, so they'll operate without any issues.
Replacing light bulbs can negatively affect players' performance and requires special safety equipment.
Color Rendering
LED lights usually offer a higher color rendering index to improve visibility. This refers to the light's ability to highlight details and show them when compared to a natural light source.
For the best results, the color rendering index of stadium lights should be 70 or higher. Although incandescent and halogen lamps have good color rendering indexes, they don't provide as much illumination as LED lamps.
Reducing Glare
Metal halide lamps produce dark and bright spots, unlike LED lights, that produce more uniform light. The light created is soft and diffused to improve visibility.
Installing LED stadium lights can impact the experience of athletes and the audience at the same time. Football players are able to follow up the ball and not miss a move while they're running. The shadows and dark spots can cause the football player to assume that the ball is accelerating or moving slowly when it's not.
The live audience can see all the details without getting confused with the shadows created by an non-uniform light source. The glare reduction will also improve the experience of broadcasting a football match.
More Control
LED lights offer more control options during a football game. For example, the stadium operator can use different effects, dim or brighten light, or create spotlights to celebrate teams based on how the game goes. This can build excitement in the field and improve the audience's experience.
Moreover, the LED lighting system can be easily controlled to increase illumination as the daylight fades. This will guarantee better visibility on the field all day long. It also leads to energy cost reductions.
In addition, LED lights will allow you to use the stadium for other uses, like holding concerts. They're highly versatile and can be manipulated in several ways to create the best lighting experience.
Environmentally- Preferable
Because they use less power to operate, LED lights put less strain on power plants. They reduce the carbon footprint of running a football pitch and have a less negative impact on the environment.
At the same time, LED lights are fully recyclable when they're no longer used, allowing you to decrease the impact on landfills.
What Factors to Consider When Choosing Stadium Lights
Choosing the stadium lights to install on a football pitch depends on several factors. Following these guidelines guarantees better illumination.
· The dimensions of the pitch determine the needed illumination. In addition to the standard size, some pitches can be slightly smaller or bigger based on how they're used.
· FIFA determines the lighting arrangement in football stadiums. Commonly, floodlights are installed in a roof rim structure around the pitch, while the lights behind the goal line should be installed at a minimum angle of 60 degrees.
· The uniformity of light should comply with the standards set by FIFA. This refers to the ratio between the minimum illuminance to the average illuminance on a specified surface. As this value increases, the more uniform the light will be.
· The position of the lamps and their wattage should be carefully calculated to reduce glare in the pitch.
· Dimming is an excellent feature to consider whether the pitch is used for a match, training, or maintenance.
· The LED flicker should be minimized, especially at low light output levels when the light is dimmed.
· For standard A and B pitches, FIFA requires the color temperature to be between 5000K and 6200K. For standard C and D pitches, the color temperature should be between 4200K and 6200K.
· The Color Rendering Index should be equivalent to or more than CRI80 in standard A and B pitches and equivalent to or more than CRI70 in standard C and D pitches.
Conclusion
Choosing stadium lights should focus on improving visibility and the overall football experience for the players and the audience. LED lights excel in football pitches light installation because they check the right boxes and offer an unmatched visual experience for lower energy consumption.
