Jessica P - Jan 20, 2023

INDOOR TENNIS LIGHTING

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PERFECT LIGHTING

Tennis is one of the most popular sports globally especially among the more mature demographic above fifty and those with higher income brackets. “The sport of a lifetime” is experiencing a noticeable boom partly due to trends in wellness and the modernized facilities that appeal to an emerging audience. With Canada being home to some of the best coaches and players in the world of professional tennis, this Olympic sport is predicted to build its presence in the amateur segment as well.

The tennis world wants to ensure this legacy by capturing the upcoming generations with improved court technology, digitized coaching programs and approving shorter set times as it’s been a game without time limits. At 2010 Wimbledon the longest tennis match in history lasted eleven hours and 5 minutes over three days between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut.

Players play for a long time if not a life time, and why wouldn’t they with all of its health benefits and the unique sense of community it fosters among its members. It’s fun, highly competitive, and elegantly simple by design.

“Tennis” comes from the French word “tenez” meaning “take it”. An eon ago in Northern France, monks hurled wooden balls at each other with their bare hands which would evolve into royals using protective gloves and then sponsored celebrities swinging rackets in super domes.

INDOOR TENNIS

Playing endless rounds of tennis is now possible through all season athletic clubs where players don’t have to battle the elements of nature and the challenges that come with sunlight or absence of it.

Ultimately indoor tennis lighting is aiming to simulate natures overcast conditions.

When balls move at speeds of up to 200km/h, visual comfort and acuity is at the heart of the game. Players need to be able to clearly see without eye strain often caused by underlighting, glare and having to overcompensate when there are hot and dark spots in the visual field which is all too common with artificial indoor lighting arrays and inconsistencies with legacy light fixtures.

Poor Lighting

INDOOR TENNIS DOME LIGHTING

Indoor sports facilities present a unique set of requirements for lighting that we know how to tackle.

Dome structures are unique structures and extremely complex to light. Dome structures which have become very popular for sports applications act as high performance year round athletic training centres and are built to last.

There are various dome building and ceiling types. Even court materials which vary as well from grass to clay and plastic composites can have very different factors that impact lighting calculations. Regardless of how these factors affect the speed and game style, there are some hard and fast rules when it comes to the correct lighting for indoor tennis.

Unlike traditional buildings walls, beams and an array of hanging points, a dome structure has various limitations and providing uniformity is riddled with challenges which is why it the lighting requires expert engineering.

The positioning of lights to achieve calculations that accurately render both the speed and direction of the ball are all based on the right light levels, uniformity and reduction of glare while producing the least amount of obstruction above and alongside the playing areas.

The optimal way to light dome structures is to mount direct/ indirect units along the perimeter at a specific distance AFF (above finished floor) unique to your venue that provides the ideal reflectance on and off the surface of the ceiling while taking other space features into account.

UPGRADING/RETROFIT CONSIDERATIONS

When comparing legacy lighting with LEDs, ample light levels need to be delivered for today’s players and spectators alike. A properly lit court is crucial to the flow of the match, visual comfort and everyone’s safety.

Indoor tennis lighting should be balanced with direct and indirect sources to create uniformity, avoid glare and highlight the ball in three dimensional perspective without shadow.

There are also existing fenestrations such as windows and skylights to consider in addition to other fixtures to be calculated and adapted for optimal mounting and beam angles.

Fixture placement and hitting the target illuminance levels both vertical and horizontal are key to providing an approved, standardized environment as recognized by governing associations related to building code while meeting current broadcast standards that are becoming the norm.

Energy efficiency and savings are a given in this situation and we can also calculate the cost of payback for you.

The products we would recommend are the DOME BAY, POOLSIDER, NEO & MAXUM.

FLEXIBILITY & CONTROLS

In addition to upgrading to more efficient LEDs, in combination with the latest controls technologies that have been simplified for end users, a range of products offer immediate flexibility and energy cost reduction as part of a holistic approach to lighting according to your facilities changing needs throughout the day and year.

Playing with colourful lights for tournaments, eliminating start up times, and adjusting levels and focus in select zones are just some of the features that controls systems provide. Empowering facility managers to program lights as needed and monitor energy consumption in an intelligent way is the new metric.

ILLUMINANCE & GUIDELINES

The most important lighting requirement to take into consideration is the Illuminance. The level of light on a surface. It’s measured in Lux (Lx). A Lux is one lumen per square meter. Lumen is the SI unit of the incident luminous flux, which is the light emitted by a lamp.

As previously mentioned, people can play tennis on different surfaces. The required illuminance depends on this factor, i.e. the type of playing field, but also the level of competition. There are four levels, or classes, for reference.

Lighting specifications for indoor courts

CLASSES

Class I: International & National

• High level for international/professional grade – 500 lux.

• Top level of competitive playing for a large amount of spectators.

• Facilities generally include broadcasted tennis matches such as U.S. Open, Wimbledon, etc.

Class II: Club Competition & Commercial

• Medium level for club standard - 300 lux

• Mid-level competition, high level training, average viewing distances

• May include collegiate facilities primarily used for intercollegiate or recreational play

Class I: Recreationial & Residential

• Lower level of play or recreational play – 200 lux

• Low- level competition, local, general training, school teams or recreational activities

PLAYING AREA

For better context, the basic parameters of the playing area that are being lit will vary depending on the facility. Because some court areas can range from 7200 to 12,000 feet and some house a multitude of courts under one roof this will really call for an intelligent lighting configuration.

The primary and secondary playing areas are two distinct areas that can be lit accordingly. The spectator and perimeter areas can also be lit accordingly if required. Ideally 70% direct and 30% indirect strikes the ideal ratio for artificial lighting, simulating an overcast sky.

These recommended values of illuminance for tennis courts apply to the entire primary playing area (PPA). Illuminance for the secondary playing areas (SPA) may be gradually reduced, but not below 70 percent of the average illuminance of the primary playing area. In the following image, we see the PPA in green and the SPA in red.

BROADCAST

In 1972 the “optic yellow” ball was officially introduced on the tennis scene so that it could be followed on a television set.

On and off screen, this rapid game with a small projectile requires brightness without the glare and uniformity to ensure safety and visual comfort during matches for all ages and levels of play. As in any sport, athletes need to develop their skills and the game, even at the most elite level and tools such as the right lighting are essential to this.

For broadcast purposes significantly higher illuminance levels are specifically required for vertical lux as indicated below. Again this scene can be activated easily with controls and a planning a rig of lights with foresight for these events. Lighting can also be augmented on an as needed basis but may be more disruptive and costly so it’s wise to forecast ahead where possible.

LIGHTING STANDARDS

UNIFORMITY

Correct uniformity has significant value on both the horizontal and vertical planes. It is an essential factor that prevents physiological adaptation issues for both players and spectators and being able to see player and the ball at all. It helps to correct most camera issues according to the shooting directions.

Uniformity is the ratio between the minimum and maximum illuminance (Emin / Emax) or between the minimum and average (Emin / Emed).

Some sports, such as tennis, are also based on another uniformity value called the Uniformity Gradient (UG). This is expressed as the ratio of the illuminance levels at two adjacent measurement points. For the American National Standards, it must not exceed 1.2.

LUMINOUS EFFICACY

The luminous efficacy are numbers that translate fixture performance into operating expenses and comparison of the best product value for your investment. These numbers also simply indicate the luminous flux/ lumens produced.

Once divided into the absorbed power expressed in “Watts” the best efficiency value helps us in choosing the best product to use. LED lamps are the most suitable as they have a luminous efficacy that varies between 120 and 150 lm/W which out performs other legacy lamps.

QUANTITY OF LIGHTS

The value of Luminous Efficacy and lamp performance will help the designers determine the number of lights needed which can vary depending on configuration of the space and it’s structure.

GLARE

When glare is excessive, it can cause discomfort, reduced vision and even momentary vision loss.

How can we reduce glare on an indoor tennis court? By using a combination of indirect and lighting solutions that are strategically placed with the necessary protective accessories applied so that balls don’t get caught or cause damage to the fixtures.

The International Commission on Illumination introduced Glare Rating (GR).

GR is used to evaluate the level of glare at a point for a single line of sight.

GR has a range of 10 to 90, where 10 is considered “unnoticeable,” and 90 is considered “unbearable.”

The acceptable level of glare rated for professional play sits in the middle at GR50.

KEY LIGHTING TERMS TO TA K E AWAY

The main metrics computed for better indoor tennis lighting are illuminance, uniformity, efficacy, quantity, glare and placement.

The key points of lighting design in summary are:

• Illuminance: This refers to the light reflecting from an object. This controls contrast which affects seeing. High contrasts prevent the ball from being seen properly.

• Glare: Good lighting shouldn’t cast direct glare on any surface or cause disability or strain to players eyes. is maximizes luminaire efficiency

• Uniformity: Fixture aiming and beam spreads determine uniform coverage over the entire tennis court to avoid casting shadows and or creating hot or dark spots.

• Luminaire quantity: The number of lights needed to properly illuminate the baseball field and minimize shadows

• Placement: Further to the correct product, location and beam spread maximize luminaire efficiency

RECOMMENDATIONS
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD LIGHTING EXTENDED

To achieve ideal lighting, the interplay between daylight and artificial light, colours and materials finishes, should be assessed as part of the overall design of your lighting system.

We are familiar in collaborating with other project stakeholders and contractors to ensure a cohesive and compatible system that integrates flawlessly.

Products: DOME BAY, POOLSIDER, NEO & MAXUM

OUR SERVICES

• Free design assist services: We are glad to direct you on the best way to use our products and design your facility. Feel free to contact us for assistance

• Retrofitting: Through our easy-to-use customer contact services, you can tell us your existing lighting specifications. Let us know if you desire a “one for one” replacement with same specifications or require a new more efficient upgrade

• Energy Management: We can assist you in lowering your total overall energy and maintenance costs by switching to longer lasting more energy efficient LED Lighting

• Spare part services: With our extensive range of products and customer satisfaction at heart, we provide spare parts for our lighting systems

Members of tennis clubs often span a range of generations. Keeping them happy and loyal can be the difference between membership base growth and retention or a deteriorating business operation.

If you’re ready to save on costs and create lifetime members with an LED upgrade to your current lighting system and reputation, our expert team is ready to assist.

Please reach out and we will connect you with your personal agent and trained design team to get you started. 60 Love!

OUR SOLUTIONS

DOME BAY

WATTAGE: 100W/150W/200W/240W/300W/400W/480W

CCT: 3000K/4000K/5000K/6500K

VOLTAGE: 100-277V (UNV) / 277-480V (HV)

MOUNTING: EYE BOLT / PENDANT MOUNT

150LM/W

The Dome Bay is an extremely versatile, Direct /Indirect, highperformance LED sports high bay that is ideal for both outdoor and indoor sports lighting applications. With its flexible, modular design the Dome Bay is specifically engineered to illuminate swimming pools, tennis and soccer domes, gyms, arenas and more.


• LED Driver: Lumileds

• Lumen Maintenance @L70: >50,000 hours

• CRI: RA>80

• THD: <15%

• Power Factor: >0.95

• Operating Temperature: -40ºC to 60ºC / -40ºF to 140ºF

POOLSIDER

WATTAGE: 60W/100W/150W/200W/300W/400W/600W

CCT: 2700K/3000K/4000K/5000K/6500K

VOLTAGE: 120-277V (UNV) / 277-480V (HV) (REMOTE DRIVERS ONLY)

MOUNTING: YOKE MOUNT (STD) / PENDANT MOUNT / CROSS ARM BRACKET

170LM/W

The Poolsider is a modular LED flood light specifically designed for the caustic environment of Natatoriums, but versatile enough to be used in any flood light application. Multiple optical lens choices, and rotatable modules allow a wide variety of light spread for various use both indoor and out.

• LED Engine: Philip Lumileds 50502, CREE 3524 for 10D ONLY

• LED Driver: Meanwell XLG

• Lumen Maintenance @L70: 75,000 hours

• CRI: >70  Ra

• Power Factor: >0.95

• Operating Temperature: -40ºC to 60ºC / -40ºF to 140ºF

NEO

WATTAGE: 300W/400W/500W

CCT: 3000K/4000K/5000K

VOLTAGE: 100-277V (UNV)200-480V (HV)

MOUNTING: EYE BOLT (STD)

140LM/W (UNV, HV)

The Neo is a high-performance LED high bay luminaire that is perfect for distribution centers and warehouses. It can be applied to industrial, commercial, gymnasium and other applications that would traditionally use HID or fluorescent luminaires.

• LED Driver: Integrated

• Lumen Maintenance @L70: 100,000 @ 25ºC

• CRI: 80+ (Standard) or 90+ (Optional)

• THD: <15%

• Power Factor: >0.93

• Operating Temperature: -30ºC to 50ºC / -22ºF to 122ºF

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MAXUM

WATTAGE: 90W/120W/150W & 120W/160W/200W

CCT: Selectable 3000K/4000K/5000K

VOLTAGE: 120-347V

MOUNTING: EYE BOLT (STD) / CEILING BRACKET

170LM/W

The Maxum is a WATTAGE SELECTABLE AND CCTSELECTABLE high bay featuring a patented design, with aesthetic modeling and unique style. It is occupancy sensor ready (It features a built-in occupancy sensor socket.) It has a luminous output of 170L/W, making it an ideal solution for warehouses, factories, supermarkets, and other indoor applications.

• LED Engine: SMD2835 LED

• LED Driver: Lifud

• CRI: Ra>70

• THD: 15%

• Power Factor: >0.9

• Operating Temperature: -40ºC to 45ºC / -22ºF to 113ºF