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Artificial lighting

The visual environment is a key part of the design you’ll need to consider for a modern sport facility.

Internal and external lighting is especially important when designing and building multi-use games areas (MUGAs) and artificial pitches, as per current industry guidance and standards.

Our Artificial Sport Lighting Design Guide includes both indoor and outdoor sports lighting and covers current codes on lighting requirements, as well as sports that may need to address special requirements in terms of their visual environment. This design guide aims to:

  • Give a basic explanation of a complex subject 
  • Update basic industry guidance on the types and levels of lighting needed for different sports 
  • Cross-reference to other information.

There are a number of benefits in investing in artificial lighting. This includes: 

  • Artificial lighting helps designers to provide consistent and adequate lighting levels indoors. This can be through the use of artificial lighting alone or together with daylight
  • In facilities such as swimming pools, artificial lighting is essential for health and safety
  • Outdoor sport lighting can increase the hours of play, particularly during the winter when participation may decrease
  • The high, uniform levels of light necessary for many televised sports events usually require special artificial lighting.
People doing burpees

Briefing note

This briefing note aims to encourage developers of MUGAs and artificial pitches to include outdoor sports lighting within their proposals. It outlines the benefits of including outdoor sports lighting and sets out the three key early steps in the design development process.

There’s also a separate document for frequently asked questions on planning, design, construction, and maintenance of artificial sports lighting.

The briefing note, as well as the FAQs, are intended for the use of clients, designers, and the wider public and supplement our existing Artificial Sport Lighting Design Guide.

For enquiries about specific sports, we recommend contacting the appropriate national governing body of the sport

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