Lighting Requirements for Rugby Clubs

Quality floodlighting significantly enhances both the enjoyment and safety of playing rugby. As specialists in installing floodlights for rugby pitches across the UK, as well as for various other sports, we are well-versed in RFU guidelines, ensuring your lighting meets the highest standards of quality.

Below we explain these guidelines to you so you can understand the services we provide.

We’ve included a table below from the RFU Regulation for floodlit matches, where their recommendations for floodlit pitches are summarised. It’s important to understand what the terminology means so that you can understand your lighting.

Did you know a lamp can lose up to 20% of its effectiveness after the first 100 hours of use? Maintained illuminance refers to the minimum average maintained illuminance. It can also be referred to as ‘Eav’.
Uniformity refers to the measurement of the evenness of the lighting over a whole area. Uniformity is worked out by dividing the minimum lux by the average lux.

Glare refers to the lack of visibility in the presence of direct bright light. On a rugby pitch, it is measured on 9 points on the halfway line, 22m lines and Try lines.

Colour, also known as Ra, refers to the accuracy and quality of the lighting. On the Ra index, 100 is used to represent bright daylight.

Lux is a measurement used to calculate lighting levels by lumens per square metre.

The lighting columns and lamp units also have to be in regulation with the current European Standard (EN) or the relevant British Standard, currently BS EN 12193:2007. The manufacturer must also be Quality Assured, in compliance with BS EN ISO 9000:2000.

Quality designs for how the floodlighting is positioned is important to ensure the maximum lighting output. There are many different elements that we consider when designing your lighting. This could be the lamps, lamp types and control systems.

There are 3 different lamps to choose from during the designing process. ‘Projector lamps’ are circular and project a narrow beam of light. This is usually the top choice where the layout requires high columns. ‘Double asymmetric’ floodlights give a fan-shaped beam and are the most common choice. And lastly ‘flat glass’ lights have the front face parallel to the playing surface which results in less light trespass. This is the top choice for planning authorities.

There are 2 different types of lamps to choose from in the designing process. One option is the high-pressure sodium (SON) which is more suitable for training areas rather than match pitches. This is due to its long lamp life with a low replacement cost. The second option is the Metal halide (MBI). This option provides quality colour rendering and is the favoured choice for match lighting. The RFU currently recommend this system for both training and match standard systems.

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting a deeper insight into your Rugby club’s lighting. It’s important to keep your Rugby club lighting updated, as if it ever fails it could bring the match to a halt resulting in unhappy players and fans!

Here at JHP Electrical, we plan, design and install the highest quality LED sports lighting, that reduces your energy consumption, carbon footprint and maintenance costs. Our electricians and lighting specialists are top tier experts so you can count on us and our specialist knowledge, expert workmanship and exceptional levels of customer service and experience.

If you require a lux testing, or want a quote on installing new floodlighting to your rugby pitch, contact us or call on 020 8950 4643.