In Australia, there are three classes of leagues namely the local league, regional league and state league, so the AFL Australian Football League Lighting standards vary according to that. Local are for young players such as high school or college teams, regional are for teams from different municipal districts while the State league fields are for National AFL matches.
The AFL Australian Football League Lighting standards states that each of these leagues should have their own football field lighting design.
Here are requirements for the AFL sports lights:
1. Lux Level Required
AFL Australian Football League Lighting standards requires that each football league should meet a certain lux level for best results of the LED lights. For example, the State league requires a minimum brightness of 500 lux horizontally. This will give the field enough illuminance.
The regional league requirements are lower, at about 300 lux average. So, how much will you spend with AFL LED Field lighting on your project?
Well, if it is for Regional league standards expect around $59,000 USD. If it is for State league, you should prepare a budget close to $95,000 USD.
On the other hand, National AFL matches might require 1000 lux, depending if they are televised and broadcast in HD or 4K.
2. Size of the Field
For a football field lighting design to be put in place in Australia, the size of the field should be determined. This will help in setting up the AFL sports lights at strategic positions for the best illuminance. The State league fields are the largest, then Regional leagues fields and lastly the Local league fields.
3. Power Needed
The ideal size of an AFL field is 160m x 130m. Therefore, this makes the field to be 20800 square meters. For a State league 500 lux is required horizontally for the best brightness. However, AFL sports lights uses LED lighting which has top lumens and high brightness per watt, and also very advanced optical lens systems to reduce as much as possible the side leakage.
The led lights installed in Australian football leagues have unique characteristics. Here are three things that makes them unique:
a. High Power Lighting
All football leagues in Australia use LED fixtures and LED equipment between 400 watt to 1000 watt. Depending on the size of the pitch and on the football field lighting design, different watts are chosen.
b. High Uniformity
The AFL sports lights are designed to give a uniformity of between 0.5 to 0.8 across all leagues. This is made possible by use of floodlights at different beam angles and powers. More so, they are arranged in such a way that will realize a high uniformity and lighting distribution.
c. TV Transmission
The LED field lighting supports 4K broadcasting, and also HD transmission. The lighting system used across all the three Australian football leagues allows for full broadcasting capabilities. Both photographing and video shooting is clear under these lighting systems.
d. Harsh Weather Proof
The lighting systems in AFL is outdoor waterproof. They can be used even during abundant rainy days.
In conclusion, the AFL Australian Football League Lighting standards have raised the LED lighting industry standards by giving specific instructions on the needed lighting systems for different league fields. Some of the standards include the lux level required, the size of the field and the power needed for lighting in a certain football ground.
More so, the Australian Football league lights have several benefits. Here are some of the benefits discussed; high power lighting, lighting systems with high uniformity, lighting systems that supports 4K broadcasting, and rainy weather waterproof.