Floodlighting for Sports Pitches
and Grounds
lighting up the game
At the top level of sport they are a necessity but floodlights
have become increasingly popular to clubs of all sizes across
the country. Any player will tell you that games played under
floodlights have a little extra magic about them and they are
also becoming more and more valuable in providing clubs with
additional income.
At its most basic level, the main advantage of installing floodlights
is that they allow sports to be played at night. This provides club’s
with far more flexibility in relation to when fixtures can be played,
particularly during the winter months making it possible to gain
far more use out of a site.
This in turn has the potential to provide club’s with a valuable
source of additional income with the option of hiring out their
pitches which can also serve to improve their relationship with
the local community.
The introduction of high quality all weather pitches combined
with floodlights has opened up even more possibilities with the
capability there to host games and training every night of the
week all year round which again can be a massive boost to clubs
at any level.
Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Programme is one way clubs
may be able to gain the funding needed to build floodlights.
It is a £110 million programme that funds the renovation and
modernisation of local sports facilities.
To date they have helped over 1,300 projects to improve and
refurbish sports clubs or transform non-sporting venues into
modern grassroots sport facilities. So whether you are a club,
local authority, school or parish council they can help you improve
your facilities.
They have 5 key areas which they target, one of which is Outdoor
Sports Lighting and with grants available from £20,000 to £75,000
this can prove to be a great option. The deadline for applications
for the latest set of funding is 5pm on 8th June 2015 with a
decision due to be made in September. http://www.sportengland.
org/funding/our-different-funds/inspired-facilities/
Over the past 10 years the t echnology relating to floodlighting has
moved on significantly meaning that higher quality lighting is now
available with less light spillage onto adjacent land or into the
night sky.
It is important when floodlights are being installed to work with
the right partners as a poor job can lead to complaints from
people in the surrounding area. A combination of proper design
and the use of appropriate technology can generally overcome
light pollution problems. So long as this is done correctly with
proper and sympathetic planning there is likely to be either a
negligible or no adverse effect. A poor job can also waste energy
which contributes to global warming and also has an operational
impact.
With floodlighting now playing such an important role for so
many clubs across the country they have become a vital part of
the modern game. With many funding options available and new
technology allowing them to be more effective than ever they
have the potential to be a valuable asset to your club for many
years to come both from a playing and financial perspective.