LED Sports Lighting vs. LED Flood Lighting Comparison

Oct 24, 2023

The creation of lighting products with differing performance characteristics from those of light fixtures meant for normal outdoor spaces such as car parks and building exteriors results from the lighting requirements of outdoor sports fields and facilities. The lighting needs for sports grounds have gotten so particular that lighting supplies have been made just for lighting athletic venues and facilities.

Projects involving sports lighting demand highly particular lighting options. Sports lights are worth the initial cost for many reasons, even though buying less expensive "conventional" flood lights for lighting your sports area, courts, and facilities may be tempting. While conventional flood light systems are frequently adequate to handle the lighting needs of outdoor sports venues, general flood lighting is fantastic for some applications. The LED sports lighting manufacturers explain why LED sports lighting should be used over LED FLood lighting.

Sports Lighting Comparison Vs. Flood Lights

Both provide ample outdoor illumination. On the other hand, beam spreads, lumen output, light quality and level, installation height, surge protection, impact ratings, warranties, and wireless operation capability vary significantly.

Sports Lighting: What is it?

Large areas used for competitive or leisure sports like football and baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis, etc. frequently use outdoor LED sports lighting fixtures, a form of outside LED lighting fixture.

The normal height of sports lighting poles is 40 to 100 feet, with 1 to 12 lamps on each pole.

These field lights were created to give players and spectators good visibility while significantly reducing operation and maintenance expenses. They do this by dispersing light efficiently and evenly over a wide region of the playing area. Schools, universities and colleges, towns, amateur sports organizations, and professional sports teams frequently employ this form of outdoor lighting.

Sports lighting locations:

Flood Lighting: What Is It?

Floodlighting, often mounted on poles or towers to provide directed illumination to various places, is also utilized for external lighting. Standard flood lights may be mounted at different angles, altering how the light is distributed.

High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps like metal halide, high-pressure sodium, and, if they are very powerful, mercury vapor lamps are used in most commercial outdoor flood light applications. Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are also used in floodlight setups that don't use LEDs.

Applications for Outdoor Flood Lighting: Outdoor flood lights illuminate bigger areas for car and pedestrian use safely and securely. Flood lights do not provide the light levels (foot-candles) required for recreation and competitive sports activities.

LED floodlights versus LED sports lights

The most economical, effective, and ideal method of illuminating outdoor sporting fields, courts, and venues now is LED sports lights.

LEDs can produce between 50,000 and 200,000 lumens at wattages between 300 and 2000. However, these numbers are insufficient on their own. Sports lights for fields and stadiums have several additional performance attributes that cater to the unique lighting requirements for fields, courts, and stadiums.

The distinguishing characteristics of LED Sports Lighting goods that set them apart from LED Flood Lighting products include

Beam Spread Variations

LED Beam Spreads for Sports Lighting Sports lighting setups frequently use several lights mounted on separate poles, often with various NEMA beam patterns. Instead of the spots of brilliant light surrounded by dark regions that arise from employing traditional flood light fixtures, fixtures with several NEMA beam patterns on individual poles can disperse light uniformly throughout a playing surface.

Flood Lighting's Beam Spreads

Commercial LED flood lights are frequently the least expensive alternative for outdoor lighting applications, but the fixtures’ design does not produce the lighting outcomes required for sports fields and facilities. One of the greatest problems is that there would be a serious lack of homogeneity in the lighting.

It would be challenging for players and observers to see because of the intense shadows and glare that would be present between bright spots.

Lumen Output

Lumen Output For Sports Lighting

Traditional LED sports field lights start at 65,000 lumens and can reach 162,000 lumens. Tennis and basketball courts commonly use fixtures with lumen outputs between 36,000 and 85,000. For players and spectators, the ideal illumination and uniformity are provided by lumen output in conjunction with suitable beam patterns.

The Output of Flood Lighting Lumens

The typical lumen outputs of commercial flood lights range from 3,000 to 60,000, much less than the standard lumen outputs for sports lights.

Ability to Control Wirelessly

Sports venues can quickly modify illumination during halftime, performances, or in between athletic events thanks to the fast ON capability of LED sports lights. One benefit of choosing sports lighting is that wireless control is frequently included as standard. Weather-resistant wireless controllers let you manage the lighting on numerous fields and in various places.

To have the same capabilities as sports lighting, you would typically need a complete control device system, which you would need to buy and install. Avoid the hassle and choose sport-specific lights with wireless control capability instead of adding expensive control devices.

Final Reflections

In conclusion, LED sports lights offer a much better value for outdoor sports lighting applications than commercial flood lighting. A more economical method of supplying the right foot candle and light levels that guarantee a safe and efficient playing surface is through LED sports lighting. This can assist you in determining whether LED sports lights are cost-effective for your business compared to regular or LED flood lights.

Sports lighting is complicated, and various mixes of power, beam angle, and lumen output result in wildly different results. Because each sports project is different, choosing the correct lighting solution is important.