The Complete Guide to Football Field Lighting
Do you remember the 2013 Super Bowl? The Baltimore Ravens triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers, and Beyonce gave a halftime performance for the ages. But many people also remember the power outage in the New Orleans Superdome shortly before the start of the third quarter.
One of the biggest sporting events on the calendar was delayed for 34 minutes thanks to a blown transformer. Most of the delay was due to the warm-up period of the traditional metal halide lighting. By switching to football LED lights, your venue could save money and avoid a disaster like this. Here’s everything you need to know about proper football field lighting:
Is LED the Best Option for Football Field Lighting?
Even in the last decade, lighting systems have evolved significantly in football stadiums across the country. Football LED lights increase quality and versatility in any facility and can even provide a high return on investment.
Avoid Conventional Lighting
Metal halide is the most common type of conventional lighting found in big venues nationwide. This lighting is much cheaper, but requires extensive maintenance and replacement. Metal halide lighting lasts 6,000 to 15,000 hours—almost three times less than modern LED technology. Conventional sources also suffer from overheating and flickering. Let’s run through how proper LED football field lighting changes the game:
Reduced Field Lighting Costs
Football LED lights reduce costs and prolong service by generating more light while consuming less electricity. The popularity of LEDs has soared in the past 10 years because of the overall cost savings. This new advanced lighting technology lasts around 50,000 hours, almost three times longer than conventional lighting. Installing a smart control system will bump energy efficiency even further, cutting total energy consumption by approximately 90%.
LEDs can even withstand various weather conditions, reducing maintenance and replacement costs. Even if your outdoor venue experiences freezing temperatures, high wind, or consistent rain, LED football field lighting will still be operational.
TV Broadcasts
We live in the era of 4K television broadcasts that look more like high-quality cinema, especially when it comes to football games. Stadiums with metal halide fixtures cannot broadcast to the highest degree of HD, and it’s noticeable. Metal halide works for people onsite in venues but will drastically impact television audiences.
Football LED lights are the best for the camera, maintaining brightness while eliminating glare for quality viewing. Photographers in your venue will thank you, too.
Safety
Conventional light sources contain mercury, exposing people to radiation. Plus, metal halide lights convert over 95% of electricity into heat, posing the threat of shattered bulbs. Because the fixtures are so hot, shattered bulb glass has injured spectators in venues in the past. LED lighting does not contain harmful components and won’t overheat.
How To Avoid Football Field Lighting Glare
Preparing your lighting system for broadcasts is important for large stadiums and arenas, but you also have to consider the visibility and safety of everyone in the venue. Lighting glare refers to visual discomfort from applications and fixtures, significantly reducing visibility. Stadiums with metal halide lamps not constructed from anti-glare material distort vision and affect athletes’ performances.
Anti-Glare LED Field Lighting
Anti-glare LED field lighting is the most energy-efficient option on the market, ideal for reducing glare that impacts people’s vision, broadcasts, and pictures. Anti-glare lighting features an effective light distribution technology, evening color perception to help athletes move safely and comfortably. Your audience will be satisfied with anti-glare reduction, increasing television viewership and ticket sales. With the investment in this technology, facilities also reduce lighting operating costs by 75%, allowing you to reallocate funds to enhance your environment in other areas.
Glare Effects
High color temperature and high-energy bulbs create glare, affecting an athlete’s vision and depth perception. A football player on the move can quickly lose focus of a ball in the air or experience blurred vision of other players around them with glare effects. The last thing a facility manager or provider needs to be held responsible for is on-field issues due to lighting concerns. Check out this glare solution:
Are you researching the best football field lighting options for your venue? Reach out to NGU Sports Lighting today for a brighter future.
How To Start Planning a Football Field Lighting Project
Before you install a new football field lighting system, planning for what you need in your facility is a must. Here’s what you need to look for to get the best lighting system for your venue:
Color Rendering
Familiarize yourself with the Color Rendering Index (CRI). This index measures a light source’s ability to represent an object’s color accurately. Lights with a CRI of 75 or higher are your best bet.
Quality
When it comes to lighting quality, look no further than LED lights. The most important aspect of your lighting is the quality grade of LED drivers, which power the system. Highly rated drivers are long-lasting and require little maintenance in the first 50,000 hours of usage.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Football Field Lighting
Do you have multiple venues, both indoors and outdoors? Be sure to research extensively before purchasing and installing, as there are different requirements for indoor and outdoor lighting. The international IP ratings require bulbs to be rated IP44 for use in potentially wet locations. Outdoor bulbs must rate IP65, IP66, or IP67 for installation approval. Lights with UL-listed tags are specified for indoor conditions.
Weatherproofing
Weatherproof lights avoid headaches, delays, and even cancellations down the road. LEDs are perfect for withstanding wind, rain, and cold temperatures.
The Best Bulbs for Football Field Lighting
NGU Sports Lighting provides applications for next-level lighting. Avoid short lifespans and flickering in conventional sources like metal halide. Check out our top football field lighting fixture: the LUMASPORT 8.
NGU’s Stadium Lighting Solution
The LUMASPORT 8 lasts over 50,000 hours at 92% lumen maintenance. You can provide the best football field lighting presentation on the market, with a correlated color temperature (CCT) range of 4,000K to 5,700K.
Choose NGU for Your Football Field Lighting
NGU Sports Lighting pioneered the LED lighting sports industry in 2012, offering the best products for venues of all sizes. Compatible with television broadcast requirements, NGU Sports Lighting supplies recreational, high school, collegiate, and professional facilities across the country. Contact us for the best football field lighting for your venue.