Aussies love their sport, so contractors better get it right when wiring up stadium lights. Philips trade channel manager Steve Arthur looks at the ins and outs of illuminating arenas.

Sporting venues across the country have in recent years transitioned from purely live sporting venues to multi-purpose sites for sport and entertainment, both live and televised.

Lighting plays a key role in enabling this transition with new LED technologies going beyond illumination to creating an interactive and theatrical experience on site but that also translates on television screens at home.

The availability of LED technology for sport venue lighting has seen some of the most recognised stadiums in the world, including Chelsea Football Club in London, that Philips upgraded from traditional HID fixtures to LED solutions, fully embracing all of the technical, entertainment and sustainability advancements that these new lighting solutions offer.

This same approach to lighting world class stadiums can be applied on a smaller scale to local sport venues – a huge business opportunity for electrical contractors given the vast majority of sporting venues in Australia still employ traditional HID lighting.

Lighting rules to play by

Often when we talk about LED lighting we talk about the opportunity for point-to-point replacement of fixtures and fittings. With sport venue lighting however there is more to consider and this due to both use and capability.

It is also important to remember that not all LED luminaires are designed and manufactured to the same quality standards and when it comes to venue lighting, where there are serious ramifications associated with failure of light fittings, it is relevant to factor in product quality and durability as well as the credibility of the manufacturer or supplier behind the lighting solution.

Some new LED floodlights are now even designed with in-built and pre-programmed thermal temperature features, which means in climates like Australia, risks associated with LED fixtures overheating temporarily or exceeding the safe operating temperature can be reduced.

It is essential to refer to the Australian Standard AS 2560.2.3-2007 Sports Lighting, which contains recommendations and requirements specific to the lighting of sport venues and sports commonly played in Australia. For each sport, the Standard specifies lighting criteria requirements for the uniformity of horizontal luminance of the principal playing area. It is also important to refer to AS 4282-1997 for standards in relation to control of the obtrusive effects of outdoor lighting as well as Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) requirements. There are also key broadcasting parameters to be considered that relate to vertical illumination, uniformity of light as well as CRI. The Free TV Australia Operational Practice guidelines should also be referred to.

Given the complexities of sport venue lighting, it is worthwhile contractors consider partnering with a local lighting designer or working together with a lighting manufacturer to source the necessary insight required before making any recommendations.

The new lighting playbook

When it comes to venue owners and operators making large scale decisions about lighting, the benefits that professional LED luminaires provide versus conventional metal halide technology are numerous – controllability, programmability, flexibility, sustainability and durability.

One way to compare traditional HID and modern LED technology is by considering use and application, but also how the lighting solution fulfils the needs of key stakeholders. That being audiences, broadcasters and venue operators.

Audience experience – With the introduction of LED, creating dynamic and dramatic lighting effects are now possible. New technologies enable instant on/ off and dimming and programmable dynamic lighting effects. Such state of the art LED solutions also allow for individual control of lighting by third party systems, opening up opportunities for multipurpose entertainment.

Broadcaster experience – From a broadcast perspective, new LED technologies are flicker-free, allowing broadcasters to get high-quality images for super slow motion; provide instant light after power outages for uninterrupted lighting; and enable different light levels with high uniformity by using dimming instead of switching modes. Importantly for TV broadcasting, there is no shift is colour temperature during dimming.

Venue operator experience – From an operations perspective, LED lighting supports venue operators generate higher value from the venue in comparison to traditional metal halide technologies. This includes energy savings by enabling dimming outside playing times as well as lower initial illumination levels and therefore reduced lumen depreciation. There are also reduced maintenance costs associated with LED solutions due to longer lamp lifetimes and venues combining LED lighting and controls, which allows for monitoring of light sources for preventative maintenance.

Venues employing latest LED technologies supported by control systems that enable flexible and dynamic lighting, can support operators attract more events to the venue, ultimately leading to increased revenue streams.

A striking upgrade

World famous as the home to the highly ranked Chelsea Football Club, Stamford Bridge is now also equipped with a state-of-the-art Philips ArenaVision LED floodlighting system. With this pioneering system, Chelsea can deliver HD, flicker-free, super-slow motion images, ensuring the best possible viewing experience to over 40,000 fans in the stadium and those watching online or on TV. The advanced LED lighting solution supported by skilled programming ups its cool quotient further by engaging with the fans, simply with the power of lights.

The importance of Total Cost of Ownership

There are a wide variety of lighting systems available on the market and there can be a temptation to choose the cheapest solution. In most cases you get what you pay for and those luminaires may come with reduced photometric performance, low-quality materials or the manufacturer may have limited expertise and provide poor levels of support, or are even without Australian Standards certification.

Before making any recommendations about the most appropriate lighting solution for a venue, a total cost-of-ownership study should be undertaken, taking into account the following quantifiable factors:

• Initial cost of lighting and controls solution.
• Number of luminaires needed to achieve the required result.
• Ease of installation and maintenance.
• Quality of luminaire materials/ likely lifetime of product.
• Power consumption.
• Competent support from the manufacturer or need for a consultant.
• Cost of gear replacement.
• Efficiency of the gear system, taking into account any ballast losses.

There are however less quantifiable factors that need to be considered. Even in non-televised events, competitors, judges and spectators attach great importance to their sport and expect the lighting to work effectively. In the case of televised events, the sponsorship for the event and the status of the venue depend very much on the performance of the lighting. A good quality lighting solution is a simple way to ensure optimum conditions for an event to take place and the right ambiance to ensure the event is enjoyed by the participants and the spectators, both in the arena and at home.

The contractor opportunity

Big stadium lighting design and installation won’t be for every electrical contractor, however there are opportunities beyond the big few. There are hundreds of sporting fields of varying size and use, that still employ traditional HID technologies and would benefit from the controllability, flexibility, sustainability and durability that new LED flood lighting systems can provide.

Contractors considering how sport field lighting could expand their business offering should:

• Build a network of lighting designers and specifiers to supplement expertise.
• Ask Australian manufacturers and distributors about product training. Most will offer training in system design, installation, integration of technologies, programming, commissioning and ongoing support.
• Regularly attend industry events and visit industry websites for lighting regulation updates.