Making sure outdoor sports fields are well-lit isn’t just a luxury, it’s a safety essential for players, coaches, and fans. Imagine a quick blackout during a game – that’s a recipe for serious injuries, which sadly is more common with old-school lights. But fear not, here’s where LED lighting steps up. These bad boys are built tough enough to last, and they don’t easily give in to Mother Nature’s mood swings that might mess up the lighting game.
Now, let’s talk about picking the right LED sports lighting system for your field. This ain’t just a walk in the park – there are some key things to keep in mind, like how you mount the fixtures, controlling where the light goes, the angles of the beams, reducing glare, accurate color rendering, weather protection, and the ability to adjust the brightness. These elements play a vital role in creating an optimal and safe lighting setup for outdoor sports.
LED Sports Field Lighting Specifications
Mounting options
When it comes to LED lighting fixtures, you’ve got options for how to set them up. They can be fixed onto light poles or mounted on walls and ceilings of nearby structures. The quantity of light poles and fixtures you require depends on how much light your specific sports field demands. Here are a few types up for grabs:
- Fixed Light Poles: These are perfect for smaller sports fields where the lighting needs are consistent and not too high.
- Retractable Light Poles: These poles are flexible – you can adjust their height based on the sporting event’s lighting requirements. They’re like the superheroes of lighting poles, also known as High Mast Lighting Systems, often illuminating vast areas in big stadiums and sports venues.
- Mobile Light Poles: These are the movers and shakers of the lighting world. They can be wheeled around the field and placed where that extra illumination is urgently needed.
Controlling Light Leaks
A lot of sports lighting setups are geared up with smart designs – think visors, side plates, and backlight control – to make sure they don’t let out more light than needed. This helps prevent that annoying light spill that could mess with drivers, neighbors, and folks just trying to go about their business in the vicinity of the field. After all, nobody wants their outdoor fun to end up causing a bother to others.
Beam Angles
Picking the perfect LED light fixture and beam angle is like putting together a puzzle. You gotta factor in the size of the area you’re lighting, how bright you want it to be, and how high up those lights are. Getting that sweet NEMA beam angle is a game-changer – it’s all about picking the angle that suits your field and makes it shine like a star. You’ll want to crunch some numbers and do a photometric layout to figure out what angle works best.
Now, let’s talk about those angles. A narrow-angle means a strong, focused beam that goes a distance. On the flip side, a wider angle spreads the light out, making it softer and less intense as it travels. Think of flood lights – they’re like the wide-angle champs, going beyond 70 degrees and sometimes even hitting 130. And hey, don’t forget about how those lights are mounted – that can totally shake up the light patterns, especially with flood lights.
Glare Restrictions
When we’re talking about glare, you’ve got to see things through the eyes of both the players and the crowd. Excessive glare can turn a field into a tricky spot for playing or enjoying the game. That’s where LED sports lighting steals the show. These systems ace the game by delivering consistent, even lighting across the whole field, all the while keeping that pesky glare in check. How? Well, they’re crafted with smart tricks like light diffusers or low-glare asymmetrical optics. This isn’t just about lighting – it’s about saving the players’ and fans’ eyes from any unwelcome dazzle at the sports field.
Color Rendering
Ever heard of the Color Rendering Index (CRI)? Well, it’s like a report card for how well a light shows off colors. Think of it as a scale from 0 to 100, where hitting 100 means the light makes stuff look spot-on perfect. Now, here’s the scoop: you want a high CRI score. Anything above 80 is the go-to for most sports events. The cool thing is, lots of LED sports lights almost hit that perfect 100 on the CRI scale. It’s like having your colors pop and shine like superstars on the field!
Weatherproofing
Lighting up outdoor sports fields face a tough crowd – humidity, rain, and moisture. These troublemakers can wreak havoc on the electronics inside.
#Pro tip: Picking an LED sports lighting system with a weatherproof rating of IP65 or higher is a smart move. It’s like giving your lights a sturdy raincoat to stand tall against whatever Mother Nature throws their way.
Dimming Ability
Having the option to dim your LED sports lighting system adds a layer of versatility that can greatly enhance your lighting experience. This feature empowers you to finely tune the level of illumination to match the specific needs of different moments, whether it’s the blazing sun of midday or the cool darkness of evening.
Imagine this: During practice sessions, when the sun is still holding its own, you can dial down the lights a bit. This not only conserves energy but also creates a more comfortable environment for players. They get the light they need without the intense glare. Now, fast forward to game time. The stadium’s buzzing with anticipation, and you want every corner of that field to shine with exhilarating brilliance. That’s when you rev up those lights to full blast, flooding the arena with luminosity that’s fit for champions.
Dimming isn’t just about flipping switches – it’s a dynamic tool that lets you orchestrate the perfect ambiance for every sports occasion. Whether it’s about efficiency during practice or creating an electrifying atmosphere for the big showdown, dimming your LED sports lighting system gives you the reins to command the light and set the stage.
Switching to LED lighting is a slam dunk when it comes to transforming your sports fields. Not only does it create a superior lighting experience, but it’s also a game-changer in efficiency, slashing hazardous glare, and keeping your maintenance budget in check.
But here’s the MVP move: for the ultimate win, it’s all about nailing those specs for your unique sports field. Don’t go solo on this – team up with us at NLED and light up your field like a true pro.
National LED is committed to providing the right LED sports lighting solutions that meet the needs of your facility, your team, and your fans! Our Atleta LED sports lighting will give you the game-changing illumination you need, and our nationally recognized project management team will make sure it gets installed on time and within budget.
See how we helped Trinity Christian School realize a 75% savings in energy usage per year, which amounts to almost $55,400 saved annually through lighting improvement.
