Have you ever wondered why the atmosphere on fields, courts, pitches, and tracks is so special? The audience contributes quite a bit, of course, but it’s the lighting that sets the mood.
Believe it or not, the type of lighting you choose may seriously affect the atmosphere of any sporting event. Each type of sport requires a different kind of lighting. Here, we’ll be discussing the tennis court and what to do to create a better lighting atmosphere.
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Why is lighting on tennis courts important
The kind of lighting we have on the tennis court matters quite a bit because it can help illuminate certain areas so that people in the audience and around the court, as well as those on TV, can see what’s happening.
The ball must be clearly visible regardless of where it is and how fast it is. The lighting is also highly important for players and for safety reasons.
The type of lighting normally used on the tennis court
With that said, you should know that court lighting is much different from other televised events. We can even go a step further and say, that tennis court lighting is a science unto itself.
The lighting needs to be so good that it simulates daylight and that means using lighting with certain color temperatures. The lighting will also depend on the type of tennis court.
Most professional tennis courts use metal halide lamps or LED tennis court lamps.
1. Metal halide lamps
Even though most tennis courts use these sorts of lamps, they are not ideal. Not only do they consume too much power, but they also take a long time to warm up. Compared to LED lights, metal halide lights also have a much shorter lifespan. So, why are they so widely used?
Because these sorts of lamps produce very high-quality light and are quite efficient in producing very cool color temperature outputs.
2. LED tennis court lights
Then we have the very popular LED tennis court lights. These lights are popular for various very good reasons. First, LED lighting can be customized to fit the needs of any tennis court. This type of lighting is almost ideal because it has an anti-glare design and lampshade, it has no light pollution and it’s very comfortable for the eyes.
LED tennis court lighting is very cost-effective and long-lasting. However, you need to be careful which bulbs you’re buying because the market now offers a wide range of different quality bulbs.
How to choose the best lighting for a tennis court
To create the best possible atmosphere on the tennis court, you need to know how to choose the right lighting. Let’s see what things you should keep in mind when choosing the right court lighting.
1. Size of the tennis court
International Tennis Federation (ITF) is a global governing and regulatory body that dictated the size of competitive tennis courts.
This means that all competitive tennis courts must be 78x27x36 feet. For lighting that means that poles need to be between 8 and 12 meters tall with a wattage between 300 and 500W.
So, when choosing the tennis court lighting, keep these pieces of information in mind
2. Brightness and efficiency of tennis court lighting
As mentioned, the brightness on tennis courts is the key element since a lot depends on the brightness. This is where LED lighting can help a lot. LEDs can provide power of 10000 watts. Whereas the maximum of metal halide lamps is only between 1500 and 2000 watts.
In addition to brightness, the court lighting should also be efficient. You don’t want your electricity bills to be super high. So, energy efficiency is also crucial. This is once again where LED lights win over metal halide lamps, hands down. LEDs were designed to save energy, so it makes sense to invest in LED lighting.
3. Color temperature
Cool white or warm light, the question is now? Some tennis courts require warm light and others cool light. In most cases, people look for cool white with a color temperature of around 5000k. Which is kind of the recommended color temperature.
However, there are still those courts that require warm lighting with the temperature between 2800 and 3500k
4. Waterproof lighting
If you’re looking for lighting for the outdoor tennis court, you’d want to choose waterproof lighting. Waterproof lamps are ideal for both indoor and outdoor courts and the best thing is that most LED lights are designed to be waterproof.
5. Choose a modular, easy-to-install design
It goes without saying that you’d want your court lighting to be easy-to-install. And LED lighting doesn’t require an arsenal of tools to be installed, so it’s safe to say that it’s pretty easy to install.
Additionally, it would be a good idea to choose a modular lamp design. Modular designs make the upkeep pretty simple since you won’t need to take the whole lamp down to change a bulb. Also, it’s good to know that LED lighting is also modular.
From all this, we can conclude that if you want to create better lighting for your tennis court, you should opt for LED tennis court lighting. It has a lot more benefits compared to other lighting options and it’s pretty cost-effective in the long run.
