Do you know? Many sports field have begun to use LED as the light sources because of its overwhelming advantages, says more energy-efficient, more durable and more versatile. By retrofitting the traditional metal halide, HPS or mercury vapor lamps, we can save running cost and maintenance cost in the long run. Let’s discuss the merits of using LED sports lighting.
1. Reduce the running costs of a sport stadium
Many sports fields that are using traditional lighting are expensive to light at any point. This is problematic for sports teams who need daily training. Using LED lighting allows a home team to practice on a sports ground that has controlled lighting. Economically speaking, it makes better sense to train on a field that has no handicaps such as natural overhead sunlight. Reduced running costs can translate to playing at any point since costs are reduced by 75-85% of the original lighting cost.
This makes it ideal to train under professional conditions that would otherwise cost a team company more money. The playing stadium or arena will be able to lease their field at an affordable price likewise.
2. Not generating so much heat like the halogen or metal halide lamps
Not too many people realize that standard sports lamps are incredibly hot to be under. Even from a long distance, the amount to heat that’s transmitted is felt just as much. Playing under these lights builds-up heat faster than playing under LED sports lights. This is one advantage that allows an athlete to play longer without overheating. It’s also better for spectators if crowd lighting is used.
Being comfortable on either side of the playing field is going to be important because heat is known to lead to aggressive behavior. While this is fine for fast-paced sports including football, soccer, and cricket, it’s better to have elevated excitement levels. Low-heat LED lights replace hot lights with cooler ones without losing the thrill of the game.
3. Reducing maintenance costs
The downside to outdoor sports arenas is the heavy amount of maintenance that goes with keeping filament lights running. There are hundreds of filament bulbs that are heated-up to hundreds of degrees and will eventually burn-out. This can impact a playing field in many ways, but the major issue is the maintenance crew. LED lights don’t require continual maintenance to light daily, so costs are reduced and have longer life-spans.
This helps bring a cost-effective retrofit solution, offering sports field teams to practice at their arena with financial merit. With lower maintenance costs in addition to low LED lighting costs, sports teams of all levels can afford professional lighting.
4. Flicker-free lighting
LED lighting does have controlled burst cycles so they light-up, but this happens so fast you can’t see it. This cycle is so rapid that the human eye only sees a solid amount of light coming from the fixture. It’s perfect for television cameras that use HDTV technology with 4K and 8K chips. Even when slow-motion playback is used, the amount of visible flashing is unseen.
Even standard smartphones and home video cameras don’t have flicker, so sports fans enjoy clear high-quality pictures and videos. Unlike the older lighting that is still around, flickering stadium lights using metal halide and high-pressure sodium is apparent. Especially for TV cameras that show flickering in slow-motion playback.
5. An excellent training tool for viewing player performance
It’s always a benefit for athletes to learn from their mistakes. A certain level of training that includes reviewing how an athlete performs on the field is a must. This is done by looking at slow-motion video to study defensive moves. The excellent quality of the video shows where mistakes can be exposed and improvements can be made. This is a coach’s preferred tool for teams or individual athletes who study their moves on the field.
As a result, the performance during official games can be refined so mistakes are lessened. But it doesn’t stop there, since anything that happened in a big match is further analyzed.
See also: How does LED sports lighting improve athletes’ performance?
6. High CRI for vivid color
The need for vision on the playing field is so critical for anything that’s moving. LED sports lighting can bring a tight focus to the action that’s happening. This is achieved through high CRI levels, to help players see objects and materials around them. CRI is a balance between light and dark, but not limited to controlling contrast. It helps to sharpen a specific field of light.
Light levels used in sports use different amounts of Lumens, but temperature and CRI all play an important role too. Important colors including the color of the grass or sports clothing must be clean and visible. It also extends onto the type of ball used so it can easily be seen moving at high speeds.
7. Resistant to impacts
The worst thing that can happen to a standard sports lights is a direct hit from a ball. The filament inside will break instantly from a sharp blow no matter how well it’s made. That won’t be an issue for LED lights due to the way they are designed. The light that comes from LEDs does replace the older method of lighting-up. With that being said, LED lights do have a protective cover made from a polycarbonate lens material.
Balls including those used for tennis, cricket, squash, soccer, and football will not affect LED lights if they are hit. They will continue to work as they did without a single flicker, making them virtually impact resistant.
8. No shadows or blind spots on the field
Playing in the open sun on an outdoor sports field is a terrible task for any sports team. The overhead shadows play tricks on players who cannot see certain details. This is a big disadvantage that’s called a handicap for playing ability. The best part of retrofit sports fields that have LED lights is removing the needless shadows that can create blind spots. Pro sports players are paid for their ability and not mistakes though lighting conditions.
It makes sense that LED lights to improve the ability to see from all angles without restrictions. This is why most sports stadiums have wrap-around lights instead of corner lights. The least amount of handicaps there are, allow all players to find the advantage of winning through a direct line-of-sight.
9. Low amounts of light bleed and glare
It takes a lot to reduce the light glare and bleed from big stadiums using HPS or metal halide fixtures. These types of light have to use large reflectors to focus its’ light. Often these require additional light shields to limit the amount of light bleed. When using LED lights, the light is always directional and doesn’t appear as a light haze. If large floodlights are used, the focus can be controlled so that glare is not obvious.
This helps merit the players see their field without being blinded. It also helps spectators see the action without being blasted with high mast lighting. Sports lights using LED will appear as a light source that has no irritating value.
10. Higher amounts of light direction
Standard sports ground lights using a filament have 360 degrees light that needs to be redirected through a reflector. No matter how well a reflector is made, this light is scattered outward without refinement. LED lights coming from a single source only emit 180 degrees of light that can be narrowed down using lenses. It has a benefit at controlling light pollution so fields can be lit using a very selective mathematic formula.
The end result is direct lighting that is meant for lighting up a field more effectively. Not only does this provide ample light for spectators and players, but it also improves the gameplay.
11. Can be dimmed for training sessions
Sports teams and athletes don’t always need the full amount of light to practice. It’s good to have 100% light during the big game, but seasonal practice will often use lower levels. This is so the amount of energy that’s spent is based on practice runs or athlete moves. Team players and athletes will still get a good workout with less chance for injuries. Lower light levels also don’t encourage aggressive playing, so there’s a reserved amount of energy that’s used for longer periods.
Because LED lights can be dimmed easily there is no worry for reducing light quality. Standard stadium lights are often damaged when they are dimmed. Their maximum Lumen output requires them to burn brightly at all times. LEDs can be dimmed at any point without a problem.
12. No need to wait to start gameplay
The advantage of LED sports lights is that they function instantly. Even if stadium lights are turned off, there is no waiting period when they are turned back on. They don’t need warming-up light halogen or metal halide. These older lights take as long as 15 minutes to reach their maximum brightness. With older stadium lights this always required lead time to estimate when they need turning on.
Using LEDs, the effect is instant and ready with light anytime gameplay is required. Additionally, this lighting can be dimmed or raised slowly to create a dramatic effect. But otherwise, LED lighting is ideal for having instant lighting whenever it’s needed.
13. Works anytime in hot or cold weather
LED sports field lights can operate in hot and cold weather because they aren’t affected by these elements. Cold weather that includes ice or snow will be especially resistant, as there’s no filament taking time to warm-up. Even with hot weather, LED lights do not overheat from sunlight. Floodlights have cooling panels built-in so excess heat that is created from the semiconductor is vented away.
Additionally, the amount of heat that comes from hot weather doesn’t add to the heat produced by LED lights. So players and athletes won’t replace the blame on LED lights when the weather was normally hot.
14. Can work in the rain or bad weather
Some weather patterns can include rainy or unpleasant weather combinations. LED sports ground lighting is retrofit to withstand these elements if they’re sued outdoors. From scattered showers to direct downpour showers, these lights will function as they were meant to. Depending on the IP rating, they can operate without failure and still provide excellent lighting nonetheless.
Outdoor sports like soccer and football often play through rainy weather, so lighting will not be hindered as a result. Even with heavy cloud coverage used for daytime games, LED light provides the perfect back-up to keep the field lit-up.
15. Increase player performance using red light therapy
It’s becoming a standard practice for players to use red light therapy to improve their playing abilities. Off the field, they can use this light spectrum to help merit repair sore muscles that might impair their playing skills. It aids in building endurance and stay in the game without being sidelined. In big team sports, a missing player who’s off the field because of muscle fatigue can mean possible team defeats.
This is why red light therapy is now a benefit that’s added inside the training rooms before and after practice. This kind of therapy helps build sustained repair to sore muscles that learn to repair damage automatically through this therapy.
