[Indoor/Outdoor Tennis Court LED Lights] Why is anti-glare so important in tournaments?
[Indoor/Outdoor Tennis Court LED Lights] Why is anti-glare so important in tournaments?
As one of the most popular international sports events, tennis has stringent requirements on the LED lighting specifications of the competition venues. To minimise players’ discomfort, anti-glare is one of the lighting requirements for the venues. Due to various safety and stability considerations, more and more new and old venues are switching to LED lighting systems. In this article, we will list a few lighting requirements for tennis courts based on their specifications.
Indoor and Outdoor Tennis Court Venue and Lighting Specifications
To understand the importance of anti-glare lighting to a tennis match, we must first understand the venue and lighting requirements of a tennis court. The standard length of a tennis court is 23.77 metres and its width can be divided into singles and doubles matches, which require 8.23 metres and 10.97 metres respectively. The white lines at both ends of the court are called the “baseline”, while the left and right sides are the side lines. The centre line should be marked with a space between the baselines and the perimeter of the court should be left open.
In order to ensure that tennis players can perform at their best in this venue, the lighting requirements must also consider the quality of the lamps, the appropriate layout and angle of illumination, and a reasonable level of brightness. Different tournaments have different lx requirements, as shown below:
Apart from affecting the players’ condition, a good lighting system can also help the referee to observe the game better and make accurate decisions, while for the spectators, they can enjoy the game better. To achieve these effects, tennis courts also have different requirements for lighting. For example, lights should be installed in an area so as not to block the main view, and the color temperature and color rendering index will affect the camera, so the angle of light projection should also be paid attention to, so as not to cause glare and not to shoot directly at the players or spectators.
| Race Specification | General illumination requirements |
| Amateur Competition (Training) | 150lx – 300lx |
| General Competition | 300lx – 500lx |
| Official Competition | 500lx – 750lx – Higher（1500lx） |
| Spectator Stand | 30lx – 100lx |
Apart from affecting the players’ condition, a good lighting system can also help the referee to observe the game better and make accurate decisions, while for the spectators, they can enjoy the game better. To achieve these effects, tennis courts also have different requirements for lighting. For example, lights should be installed in an area so as not to block the main view, and the color temperature and color rendering index will affect the camera, so the angle of light projection should also be paid attention to, so as not to cause glare and not to shoot directly at the players or spectators.
Why are anti-glare LED lamps more suitable than metal halide lamps for competition venues?
Tennis players need to be highly focussed, and any small environmental factors will affect the game, especially visual disturbances which are the most important. Nowadays, traditional metal halide lamps are being replaced by newer lamps in tournament venues, as the passing speed of a tennis match can be as high as 200km/h, and points can be gained or lost in the blink of an eye, so anti-glare and other lighting factors are very important. LED lamps can also perform better in different aspects of lighting systems for tournament venues.
- Anti-glare capability: Traditional metal halide lamps cannot adjust the angle or intensity of illumination, which may cause glare problems and interfere with the vision of athletes. The new LED lighting fixtures adopt total internal reflection design, which can precisely control and average the light beam to prevent glare.
- Colour rendering index (CRI): The CRI of metal halide lamps is about 65, while that of LED lamps can be higher than 75. The higher the CRI, the easier it is for the human eye to distinguish the colours of objects. Therefore, metal halide lamps are more likely to cause visual fatigue and affect the concentration of athletes.
- Anti-flash capability: Since metal halide lamps use alternating current (AC), their voltage changes can easily cause flash phenomenon, which can be regarded as a kind of light pollution on the playing field. This can affect players’ eyesight and may cause migraine and myopia in the long run. However, the voltage of LED lighting is more stable and will not change frequently, so it will not flicker, thus avoiding the problem of flickering.
Tennis, as an international sport, regularly and frequently organizes competitions and activities worldwide. Because tennis is a high-speed ball sport, tournaments require a wide range of lighting specifications, especially in terms of anti-flash, brightness, and other issues that require high-specification LED lighting systems so that players can focus on the game and give their best performance.
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