These standards offer recommendations for designing sports lighting systems. The objective is to create a suitable luminous environment that enhances the visibility of the playing target (ball), competitors, and surrounding areas. This includes specific guidelines for the sport of tennis.
Class I of competitive play is any competition that is played before a group of 5,000 or more spectators. Lighting criteria for major stadiums and arenas require special design considerations such as vertical and horizontal illuminance values not covered by this practice, which may be defined by individual sports governing bodies and/or broadcasting organizations.
Recommended illuminance levels are:
Professional, international, national, and college.
Maintained Average Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 125 fc. CV = 0.10 or less. (Emax/Emin = 1.5:1 or less)
Minimum Maintained Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 100 fc.
Class II of competitive play is any competition that is played before a group of up to 5,000 spectators. Lighting criteria for major stadiums and arenas require special design considerations such as vertical and horizontal illuminance values not covered by this practice, which may be defined by individual sports governing bodies and/or broadcasting organizations.
Recommended illuminance levels are:
College, regional, municipal, club, and residential.
Maintained Average Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 75 fc. CV = 0.13 or less. (Emax/Emin = 1.7:1 or less)
Minimum Maintained Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 60 fc.
Class III of competitive play is any competition that is played before a group of up to 2,000 spectators. Lighting criteria for major stadiums and arenas require special design considerations such as vertical and horizontal illuminance values not covered by this practice, which may be defined by individual sports governing bodies and/or broadcasting organizations.
Recommended illuminance levels are:
Club, high school, instructional, parks, and residential.
Maintained Average Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 50 fc. CV = 0.17 or less. (Emax/Emin = 2.0:1 or less)
Minimum Maintained Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 40 fc.
Class IV of competitive or recreational play only, with limited or no provision for spectators. Class IV lighting levels are suitable for play at fields that do not draw a large number of spectators. Many fields that host competitive play for adult recreational leagues will have very few spectators. Games for youth leagues will typically only be attended by family members of the participants.
Recommended illuminance levels are:
Parks and recreational.
Maintained Average Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 30 fc. CV = 0.21 or less. (Emax/Emin = 2:5 or less)
Minimum Maintained Horizontal illuminance: Light Intensity: 20 fc.
Tennis is a fast, multi-directional aerial sport. The tennis ball may approach the players at extremely high speed. Thus, while illuminance quantity and quality are most critical; illuminance uniformity, direct glare, and reflected glare come in a close second. Other important factors to consider when designing illumination for tennis facilities are:
The boundary line of a doubles tennis court is approximately 11 meters wide by 23.8 meters (36 x 78’) long with a court boundary area of 261 square meters (2,808sf). However, the overall court area of a tennis court is considerably larger than the court boundary area because the ball should be playable far beyond the court boundaries. Normally, the overall court area of a single tennis court is 18.3 by 36.6 meters (60 x 120’) with an area of 669 square meters (7,200sf). For Class I and II facilities, the overall court area may be as much as to 24.4 by 45.7 meters (80 x 150’) with an area of 1,115 square meters (12,000sf). For illumination design purposes, the overall court surface may be subdivided into two distinct areas:
Average illuminance within the secondary playing area (SPA) should not be less than 70 per cent of the average illuminance of the PPA with the uniformity gradient (UG) not greater than 1.2 for Class I and II facilities.
National LED can be your go-to sports lighting company for field layouts and turnkey installations.
The placement and height of lighting poles at tennis facilities are determined by factors such as the distribution of light from luminaires, the intensity of the light source, the distance from the court, and the level of play (amateur to professional). Both fixed and adjustable (aimable) luminaires are options depending on specific lighting needs. Additionally, Figure 1 offers a general guide to help determine the appropriate heights for poles based on these variables, ensuring optimal lighting for tennis play.
Positioning poles beyond the baselines can be advantageous for lighting the ball as it approaches players positioned behind the baseline. However, it’s important to shield the luminaires on these poles to prevent direct glare affecting opposing players. Additionally, when luminaires are placed at court corners, the poles may need to be elevated to at least 15.3 meters (50 feet) for Class I and II facilities to ensure optimal lighting coverage.
Poles between two adjacent tennis courts should only be positioned at the net line or the fence line to ensure safety. Placing free-standing poles between courts without protective side fences poses a significant hazard to players, and such setups should be avoided to prevent accidents and maintain a safe playing environment.
Fill out this form to be contacted in 15 minutes or less
National LED can be your go-to sports lighting company for field layouts and turnkey installations.
