Astola football pitch: How to improve viewer experience and player performance
Astola football pitch in Abadiño, Vizcaya (Spain) was inaugurated over 45 years ago. It is 105 x 66 metres in size which means that it has similar dimensions to many premier division pitches. When it was built, it was one of the longest and widest football pitches in Vizcaya.
This article addresses...
- ASTOLA FOOTBALL PITCH IN ABADIÑO
- PLAYING FIELD ILLUMINATION; THE SECRET IS IN THE OPTICS
Astola football pitch in Abadiño
The intended purpose of the pitch is for playing regional or local club competition matches, meaning that there will generally be average-sized groups of spectators viewing matches from a mid-level distance. Other potential uses to which it might be put include top tier training sessions.
Playing field illumination; the secret is in the optics
The intended uses to which the football pitch will be put and the corresponding requirements means that it is a Category II sports facility.
In this particular project, the facility already existed, and this is an incredibly significant point because it meant that the lampposts themselves were already installed and had a certain height and size. There was no leeway whatsoever in terms of where light fixtures could be positioned. In addition, a large number of light fixtures was not an option either, because the size of the brace at the top of the posts had to be taken into account and the project needed to be very energy efficient and make huge savings in energy.
We were able to successfully get to grips with all these issues by opting for a spotlight designed specifically for sports facilities: the Esdium Sport LED.
This floodlight has a number of advantages for all kinds of sports facilities:
- Independent, pivotable modules for improved uniformity and to avoid shadows
- Inclusion of extensive or intensive optics depending on the needs of each particular case
- Excellent quality and incredibly durable and reliable materials with a long operating life
- Each light fixture can be positioned as needed
- Light fixtures manufactured with an individual protection diode on each LED for additional protection and to avoid future issues
We began by performing an initial light study which culminated in an optimum project proposal that met all the aforementioned legislative requirements whilst using as few light fixtures as possible. Nonetheless, the facility owners decided to increase the number of floodlights because they wanted superior lighting results.
A variety of optics were selected:
- A 32° symmetrical optic for areas near to the lampposts
- A 21° symmetrical optic for the areas furthest away, the goals and centre field
The wider the angle on a beam of light, the more the light scatters. This decreases the luminous flux that reaches the ground but spreads light across a larger area and increases uniformity. It is ideal for areas close to lampposts because, if the light is positioned towards areas that are further away, it tends to blur in excess and reaching target values becomes an impossible feat.
However, we can achieve precisely the opposite with more closed optics. They concentrate the light more and, by doing so, cover areas that are further away.
With this in mind, the most suitable solution was undoubtedly a project that comprised a combination of floodlights with these optics.
In the end, and further to some small alterations to our initial proposal, we were able to go above and beyond the requested lighting needs and ensure absolute customer satisfaction.
In addition to these results, other factors that tipped the balance in favour of Secom lighting solutions in this project included the excellent quality of our fixtures, our on-going technical guidance and rapid turnaround time because we are manufacturers with production facilities in Spain.
We would like to wish the team at Abadiño K.E. football club all the very best for the upcoming season. We sincerely hope that their footballing trajectory is truly bathed in light.
