LED Arena and Stadium Lights

Outdoor sports venues require high-powered lighting to provide visibility for players and audiences alike. LED lights are now the most popular for sports lighting because of their lifespan, quality level, and energy benefits.

What are the advantages of LED sports lighting?

LED lighting lasts 4-5 times longer than traditional metal halides and high-pressure sodium light systems. Because of this, they are more cost-effective and energy efficient, with optimal light quality and better overall coverage. This means they save significant amounts on electricity expenses, an attractive perk for sports venues both small and large.
Lighting a sports venue with LED lights provides bright, even light distribution. This helps audiences and viewers at home to see everything happening on the field or court clearly. This is especially beneficial for night events, as LEDs reduce shadows and glare.
The problems with large stadium and arena lighting are the effort, and the cost of maintenance and replacement. LED fixtures, however, have a much longer lifespan and more reliable technology that decreases the need for frequent maintenance. LEDs will not dim over time and have consistent beam spread and color consistency over time. Most LED sports lighting can last up to 50,000 hours, which venues can stretch for up to 12 years or more.
Many LED sports lights have integrated technology in their fixtures that helps dissipate heat. This is a major benefit for sports, as other lights can get hot and add unnecessary discomfort for crowds and players. Using LED lights keeps sporting events and other recreational activities cool and comfortable at night.

Which type of lighting fixtures do I need?

LED outdoor lighting is beneficial for multiple types of sport arenas and stadiums. Applications include soccer, baseball, tennis, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, equestrian, and more. Depending on the sport and its venue, different types of LED fixtures will provide better lighting performance.

Large application LED lighting has numerous types of beam angles, wattages, and fixture designs. Choosing the right type of sports lights will ensure that a playing area has properly overlapping beams and no “hot spots.”

For example, a fast action sport with small playing objects, like tennis and baseball, requires higher lighting levels. This means lights need higher lumen counts and wider beam angles. Some fixtures you would use for these sports would be LED flood lights, LED shoebox fixtures, or LED shoebox retrofit kits.

For slower speed sports with larger playing objects, such as football or basketball, the venue could use lower lighting levels. LED high bay lights, LED low bay lights, some LED flood lights, LED stadium lights, and LED linear fixtures are some common sports lights. These fixtures have wider ranges of lumen count and beam spread to cater to specific venue needs.

What are Hot Spots?

Hot spots are a point in an illuminated area where too much light overlaps. This creates harsh overexposure and a distracting dotted pattern. Hot spots can cause unwanted glare and eye strain for both viewers and players.

LED lighting, on the other hand, is much less likely to have this problem because of its uniform light distribution. With proper spacing, LED sports lights provide even, seamless lighting for your entire recreational area. Depending on the scale of your space, you may need more or less fixtures. For optimal light output, make sure you balance the number of lights you purchase and their brightness.

What is the difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical lighting?

Sports light fixtures, specifically high-powered flood lights, depend on direction and clarity for visibility and decreased light distraction. The symmetry of the light beam spread contributes greatly to how well they illuminate a sports venue. The design of a light fixture’s spread can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Symmetrical – Symmetrical light distribution spreads light equally in all directions. In theory, this type of lighting is ideal for illuminating large spaces. Its uniform beam spread does not produce direct glare, however excess light spill can create an indirect glare.

Sports venues such as basketball courts and tennis courts can use symmetrical lighting to cover uniform expanses of space.

Asymmetrical - Asymmetrical light distribution concentrates reflectors to emit a light beam in one direction. Asymmetrical fixtures lower indirect glare, leave less harsh shadows, and smoothen the transition from unlit to illuminated areas. Generally, they make large, highly illuminated areas more comfortable on the eyes.

This type of lighting solution is ideal for large sport venues, especially those that have screens or other reflective light sources. This is because you can direct asymmetrical fixtures away from things like screens and towards the main attraction. Asymmetrical lighting does not provide any less light or visibility than symmetrical lighting.

The benefits of asymmetrical lighting go beyond just directional control. For open-air sports facilities, asymmetrical fixtures also reduce light pollution by 50%. Some fixtures with asymmetrical lighting designs include high bays, UFO lighting, wall packs, flood lights and some shoebox fixtures.

How do LED lights reduce glare?

Asymmetrical LED sports lights typically have tilted or cutoff fixture designs that angle light beams in one direction. This allows for concentrated light that illuminates a desired area evenly.

Reducing excess light spill decreases the possibility for glare. It is also easy to overlap the light from multiple asymmetrical fixtures without creating unwanted reflections and brightness. Some LED sports lights also have implemented glare shields or frosted lenses to diffuse and soften light.

To learn more about the specifics of spill light and glare, check out our other blog about The Effects of Spill Light and Glare.

Overall, LEDs are the most economical type of sports lighting for stadiums and arenas to use. Browse our selection of stadium and sports lights to find energy saving LED lighting for your sports venue today!