GAA Sports Lighting Requirements

We put the following questions to Philips Electronics, the professionals in GAA Sports Lighting regarding all your club/grounds Sports Lighting needs.

Is there an increased awareness and interest evident nowadays in Sports Lighting?

With regard to the GAA developments at County level, their extremely congested season now necessitates an extension of the programme beyond the hours of daylight and it is anticipated that Floodlit Leagues will emerge in the not too distant future. At club level, even the smaller clubs are investigating the matter of how their basic lighting needs could be met, for Training and Practice. Most important of all, money is being made available to put lighting in place.

Why do Philips see themselves as particularly able to meet GAA lighting needs in football and hurling, for all requirements from Stadia to County Grounds, to basic Club Training?

Philips commissioned a study of the Lighting requirements of GAA Sports needs to ensure an authoritative and knowledgeable approach to this important emerging market. The study was undertaken to establish the criteria to be applied for the various levels required. No other similar work has been undertaken.

For the bigger Stadia, a comprehensive International Design Service is available from the Philips Centre of Competence in France. This is the Service responsible for the sports lighting of Olympic Games Venues and also European and World Cup Stadia in all parts of the world.
Smaller jobs for Training, Practice and Club Grounds are more straight forward.

back to top

Where a Club or Board requires a Philips Lighting Design or a Design/ Turnkey Option, how should they best go about it and what timescale is involved?

It is a very simple matter for the Club or Board, interested in installing Floodlighting, to make direct contact with us at Philips Dublin - 00 353 (0)1 7640138. We will be pleased to meet the personnel concerned on-site within a matter of days, survey the grounds involved and discuss the Lighting requirements and projected timescale with them.

A design can then be prepared, complete with details on the illuminance/uniformities at pitch level and towards camera positions where these apply. The design will also cover the mounting arrangements and the aiming angles required for each and every projector. Aiming floodlights accurately is critical if the uniformities set are to be met and spill light kept to an absolute minimum. Philips provide this specialist aiming commissioning service on completion of the installation, before the necessary tower facilities are removed from site..

Where a total installation cost and project management is required, this can be arranged and a total package cost given. In specific instances, Philips can even finance the installation at preferential rates.

back to top

Tell us about the special lighting projection equipment used?

In 1988 the first version of the IP65 Philips Arena Vision Projector was introduced to dramatically improve Sports Lighting for spectators, players and TV audiences alike. Unique lamp colour quality and brilliance were combined with less spill light and glare to create a better stadium atmosphere and television experience. As a result Arena Vision has become the first choice across Europe.

The new 2000 generation of this projector family - MVF 401/ 403 - has a variety of reflectors and lamps and offers the choice of 9 different optical systems with 3 levels of power output for all possible uses-indoor, outdoor and small or large grounds.

The unique award winning oval shape of the cast aluminium housing was established after years of research to produce a precisely engineered oval reflector with maximum light gathering capacity and minimum surface area - very important design attributes. This means less windage area/drag compared to conventional floods. Thinner, lighter and less expensive masts become possible providing more imaginative designs.

With the Arena Vision the new Philips 2000w metal halide lamps (the first at this rating developed specifically for colour TV) now provide up to 15% more light while retaining the original natural colour rendering.

Philips has perfected an unequalled competence in optical lighting design and optical engineering as a result of hands-on experience in hundreds of Arenas across Europe. Unique to Arena Vision is the construction principle consisting of one housing accommodating 7 different optics, each with razor sharp cut-off characterics. These can be mixed and matched with either 1000w or 2000w lamps to ensure optimal results in any situation.

back to top

What Lighting Design Criteria apply to GAA Games?

There is a common requirement for all outdoor sports activities to ensure best results. Players are the first priority, they must be able to see in comfort to perform to their ability. Referees and match officials must be able to follow the play in comfort to control the game and make accurate decisions. Last but not least there are the spectators who must get to their place in comfort, see the game in comfort and be able to leave in safety and comfort. These many criteria can be interpreted in the context of available International Codes of Practice of comparable Sports and therefore suitable criteria of illuminance, uniformities and performance can be accorded the many different needs involved.

Five classes of sporting activity are internationally recognised-
• International and National Competition
• Regional Competition
• Local Competition
• Training Needs
• Recreational Needs

These classes are related to the standards of play and the viewing distances of the spectators.
Naturally these different classes do not require either the same quantity or quality of lighting.
Lower standards are clearly acceptable for recreation than for national competition. To cater for all five activity levels the following three lighting classes are defined-

Finally, what costs are to anticipated for a total turnkey installation to these design criteria?

As will be realised, costs will be related to the Class of Lighting to be installed. Taking the club situation for comparison, a simple installation to cater for Training could cost as little as £2000.00, while one answering TV Camera levels could approximate £500,000.00. However, the only satisfactory way for any club to establish likely costs involved to answer their particular requirement is to contact us and we can devise a scheme to suit all requirements.

back to top