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Sports lighting

Sports lighting concerns not only large stadiums but also the thousands of local recreation facilities in our communities. It is more than just floodlighting — it is about how we use light to create appropriate environments for televised and recreational activity.

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The information in this guide is general in nature and cannot be relied upon as professional advice concerning the design of, or marking out for, sporting facilities and playing areas. No assurance is given as to the accuracy of any information contained in this guide and readers should not rely on its accuracy. Readers should obtain their own independent and professional advice in relation to their proposed sporting activity.

Floodlighting provides opportunities to maximise income by allowing greater programming flexibility and optimum use of the facility. It is important to balance these benefits against the initial expense, ongoing energy and maintenance costs and the implications for the management and supervision of the facility. Factors to take into account when planning a facility are usage and the likelihood of obtaining planning permission for the floodlights. In some cases floodlighting is considered inappropriate by the local government due to proximity to housing.

For these reasons early consultation with local government authorities is essential.

It is of primary importance that architects and lighting specialists work together from the conceptual design phase until completion of a new sports venue. Unacceptable glare, direct or indirect, can be avoided if the lighting requirements are taken into account in the design phase. This is extremely important where the lighting system is integrated into the building construction, whether it be indoor (ceiling system) or outdoor (in the roof of a stadium).

Because of the multi-use of large sporting venues, it is recommended to provide partial switching of the light installation. This will meet the specific requirements for the sport activity taking place but also for recreational, training or competition level, and maintenance/cleaning. Running costs are reduced but more importantly, the lighting quality is better for each type of sport taking place in a particular sports’ facility.

Lighting minimum performance criteria (service illuminance lux)

Level of play Outdoor tennis Indoor centres Table tennis, fencing Boxing, wrestling, martial arts Outdoor netball, basketball Outdoor hockey Lawn bowls
International 1000         500 100
Competition 350 500 700 1000 200 250 100
Training 250 300 500 500 100 250 100

 

All clubs should consider the future and allow for the upgrade of all infrastructure (such as poles, cabling). When the time comes to upgrade, this will allow all existing poles or electrical cabling to be accommodated for.

It is also recognised that climate change will impact on future participation opportunities and that in some areas, night competition may become more common.  This should be considered in the planning phase.

To guarantee a quality sports lighting installation, a lighting installation specification must be drawn up. The specification must contain the performance requirements in terms of lighting level, uniformities, gradients, illuminance ratios, glare rating, obstructive light, colour temperature and colour rendering.

A sample of lighting levels is outlined below. It is recommended that before proceeding with a lighting design, the relevant state sporting association and Standards Australia be consulted. It is also recommended that the design adopted be provided by a competent lighting practitioner who has access to the data and design aids to ensure compliance with specified requirements for that sport.

Information relating to specific sports is available in Australian Standard AS 2560 – Sporting facilities manual – Part 1:  sports lighting

Television requirements

The transmission and recording of sporting events has expanded rapidly in recent years due to the number of different sports now televised. Indoor sports are attracting the attention of television and played under artificial lighting. Outdoor sports are being played in the evenings under floodlights. Lighting levels vary for different sports and different camera situations.

The Standards Australia series on sports lighting does not include lighting necessary for television broadcasting because specialist advice is normally required for such installations. One publication available is the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) publication, Practical Design Guidelines for the Lighting of Sport Events for Colour Television and Filming CIE 169:2005.

In designing a CTV lighting installation, the lighting criteria for other users (i.e. players and spectators) besides the CTV viewers should be given full consideration. Glare must be kept to a minimum. The players and referees must be able to see clearly all that is going on in the playing area so they can achieve their best possible performance. Spectators have to be able to follow the players and game in a comfortable environment. The lighting must also support safe entry to and from the sports venue. With large crowds the security aspect is of utmost importance.

Daylight effects can have a negative influence on overall lighting quality, for both indoor and outdoor venues. Indoors, the penetration of daylight should be avoided as it can cause unacceptably high brightness and shadows. This happens with glossy floors and water surfaces in sports halls and aquatic facilities. Properly designed sun blinds can avoid these effects.

Camera shooting distance 25m 75m 150m
Class A archery, billiards/snooker, bowls, darts, diving, indoor/outdoor equestrian, indoor shooting, weightlifting 400 lux 560 lux 800 lux
Class B athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, cycling (track), football (soccer and AFL), gymnastics, handball, indoor/outdoor hockey, martial arts, netball, roller hockey/skating, rugby league and union, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball 560 lux 800 lux 1120 lux
Class C boxing, cricket, fencing, ice hockey, lacrosse, squash, table tennis, wrestling 800 lux 1120 lux

 

In outdoor venues, direct sunlight can cause harsh shadows resulting in unacceptable contrasts for the television cameras when shifting from the bright illuminated area to the shadowed area of a playing field. Where certain parts of a grass playing field are always in shadow, uniformity problems under artificial lighting may occur because of the darker colour of the grass in the shadowed part.

In designing sports lighting installations, broadcasting directors in televising an event, strive to make it as spectacular as possible. Multi-camera coverage is developing rapidly as a result of ongoing improvements in camera equipment and its usage. Examples are replays from various angles, moving cameras in track events and underwater cameras. This results in a requirement that the playing field and its surrounds are illuminated in such a way that camera coverage will be possible from any direction.

Advertising signs along the perimeter of the playing area should be carefully illuminated to provide a clear picture quality when appearing in the background of a televised scene. This can conflict with the glare criteria of the spectators, especially when the stands are close to the playing area.

The following table shows vertical illuminance for various sports televised or filmed under artificial lighting. The sports are divided into three categories, determined mainly on the basis of the speed of action occurring during camera shots and maximum shooting distance.

 
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