Floodlights (sport)

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Football field at a sports centre illuminated with floodlights

Floodlight in a small sports field.

Floodlights are broad-beamed, high intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions.

In the top tiers of many professional sports, it is a requirement for stadiums to have floodlights to allow games to be scheduled outside daylight hours. Evening or night matches may suit spectators who have work or other commitment earlier in the day. The main motivation for this is television marketing, especially in sports such as Gridiron which rely on TV rights money to finance the sport. Some sports grounds which do not have permanent floodlights installed may make use of portable temporary ones instead. Many larger floodlights (see bottom picture) will have gantries for bulb changing and maintenance. These will usually be able to accommodate one or two engineers.

[edit] Types of floodlight

The most common type of floodlight is the floodlight Metal Halide which emits a bright white light, however most commonly used for sporting events are high pressure Sodium floodlights which emit a soft orange light, similar to that of street lights; SON lamps have a very high lumens per watt ratio making them a cost effective choice where certain lux levels have to met.

[edit] Australian rules football

The first floodlit Australian rules football match was a VFL premiership match, Essendon Football Club vs Geelong Football Club at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground, as part of Round 8, 1952.^[1]

[edit] Association football

A floodlight used on a soccer field

Floodlights on a Rugby League field at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds, UK. This is a common style of floodlights at older football and rugby grounds in England and Scotland. (Note the two gantries near the light for servicing)

Darwen FC have reportedly the first floodlit stadium.^[2] Floodlighting in association football dates as far back as 1878, when there were floodlit experimental matches at Bramall Lane, Sheffield during the dark winter afternoons. With no national grid lights were powered by batteries and dynamoes, and were unreliable. Lights were later be used by clubs such as Thames Ironworks, but they stopped the practice after joining the Southern League in 1888.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1930s, Herbert Chapman installed lights into the new West Stand at Highbury but the Football League refused to sanction their use. This situation lasted until the 1950s, when the popularity of floodlit friendlies became such that the League relented. The first floodlit Football League match took place at Fratton Park, Portsmouth on 22 February 1956 between Portsmouth and Newcastle United^[3].

Many clubs have taken their floodlights down and replaced them with new ones along the roof line of the stands. This previously had not been possible as many grounds comprised open terraces and roof lines on covered stands were too low. Elland Road, Old Trafford and Anfield were the first major grounds to do this in the early 1990s. The Galpharm Stadium and the JJB Stadium have since been built with traditional floodlights on pylons.

[edit] Rugby League

For a club to play in the Superleague they must have a ground with floodlights adequate for playing a professional game.

[edit] Amateur use

Many smaller amateur clubs will have less substantial floodlights, often only suitable for training and not playing a full game. Often they will only illuminate a small part of the playing area.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References