A football stadium is a space that meets the regulations imposed by the French Football Federation. Ensuring their respect is a mandatory step for a stadium to be able to host official competitions . AIKO Lighting treats football stadium lighting studies with the greatest care to comply with the standards in force and provide an optimal playing environment thanks to suitable sports lighting .
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF GOOD FOOTBALL STADIUM LIGHTING?
COMPLIANCE WITH LIGHTING STANDARDS
Quality football stadium lighting brings benefits to stadium users and managers. In the first position comes compliance with the standards imposed . There are a number of standards for football stadium lighting. To ensure that the lighting complies with regulations, AIKO Lighting carries out light-technical studies for your installations . This makes it possible to calculate the levels of illumination that your new luminaires will provide, and to ensure sufficient uniformity of the area to be illuminated. This avoids shadow areas on the ground. By respecting the regulations, the stadium can also accommodate players for competitions. The more the regulations are respected, the higher the level of competition can be. It is therefore essential that your lighting system complies with football stadium lighting regulations.
OPTIMIZE THE GAMING EXPERIENCE
A major focus of football stadium lighting is improving the playing experience . Practicing on poorly lit terrain is not comfortable for anyone. Neither for the players, who will find it difficult to follow the game and the ball, nor for the spectators who will appreciate the game they are watching less. Uniform and sufficiently powerful football stadium lighting improves the gaming experience and allows spectators to fully enjoy the match .
OPTIMIZING THE LIFESPAN AND QUALITY OF THE LIGHTING SYSTEM
Most current football structures are still equipped with older generation LED floodlights . Halide floodlights, which are the most widely used, consume much more than a new generation LED luminaire. Their lifespan is shorter, which increases the frequency of maintenance, while the quality of the lighting provided is lower. LED football field lighting has become essential when creating a football field or during a relamping project . Opting for new generation LED floodlights is therefore beneficial on all points for your football stadium lighting system.
RANKING LEVELS
There are total 7 rating levels for soccer field lighting. Each refers to a minimum lighting threshold and corresponds to a specific level of competition . Each ranking level is explained in the table below:
Rating level | Competition level | Description |
E1 | League 1 | It is the highest of all. It corresponds to very high-level matches, which take place within the framework of Ligue 1. These matches, which take place in stadiums with a large reception capacity, require high levels of lighting. They must allow television transcription in good conditions, which requires a suitable lighting system. |
E2 | League 2 | It corresponds to matches being played within the framework of Ligue 2. These events are publicized and broadcast on television. This involves setting up a specific lighting system, which makes it possible to obtain good images. A high level of lighting is therefore essential for this type of football stadium. |
E3 | National 1 | From the E3 standard, stadiums are no longer subject to television broadcasting requirements. The level of lighting remains important, but it is only intended for the players and the spectators on the spot. |
E4 | National 2 & 3 | The E4 value is intended for intermediate level matches. The level corresponds to national 2 and 3. |
E5 | Regional and departmental | For levels ranging from E5 to E7, this concerns football pitches hosting matches from regional to district level. |
E6 | Departmental | |
E7 | District |
CURRENT STANDARDS
First of all, there is the NF EN 12193 standard , which concerns sports lighting in general. It communicates various information on the minimum lighting thresholds and the characteristics of luminaires for sports lighting.
The French Football Federation also provides regulations concerning sports grounds and facilities that can host football matches . It defines, among other things, the lighting levels specific to the different classification levels as well as the minimum uniformity thresholds. For more information on this subject, we invite you to consult the official document . Otherwise, you can find the values in question in the table below:
HOW TO LIGHT A FOOTBALL STADIUM?
Lighting a football stadium is not easy. It is necessary to take into account the dimensions, the layout of the lighting system and to choose the appropriate luminaires . Each point is important and deserves to be dealt with in depth. NEXXLED takes into account each of these points to offer a complete and efficient solution .
THE DIMENSIONS OF A FOOTBALL FIELD
To properly illuminate a football field, it is necessary to base oneself on the dimensions of this one . However, not all football pitches have the same dimensions. Depending on different criteria, they can be larger or smaller.
First of all, let’s start with the football pitches intended for the youngest. They have variable dimensions depending on the number of players on the field. It is necessary to count between 30 and 45 meters long and 20 to 30 meters wide for teams of 5 between U6 and U9 .
Between U10 and U13, teams will need half a pitch , while they will switch to full pitch from the moment they enter U14.
Beyond that, the dimensions of a football field are more varied. It is necessary to count between 90 and 120 meters in length, and between 45 and 90 meters in width at the most . Mandatory areas of a football pitch are also standardized. The dimensions of the penalty area, the circles of corners or the release zone comply with the regulations of the grounds and sports facilities of the French Football Federation.
LIGHTING USING POLES
The most common option for illuminating a football pitch is to use light towers . These are masts measuring between 8 and 50 meters on average, supporting LED floodlights that illuminate the field.
WHY CHOOSE LED FLOODLIGHT?
The LED floodlight has become the excellent luminaire for football stadium lighting . And this for many reasons. Firstly, thanks to the arrival of LED technology. This new technique has revolutionized the world of lighting. It makes it possible to create luminaires with much more interesting properties than conventional, incandescent or iodide luminaires . Ignition is instantaneous, the lifetime of the luminaire exceeds 50,000 hours, the luminous efficiency is much higher and the loss of heat is almost zero. The LED floodlight is therefore essential for any football stadium lighting project.
