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Written by Kevin Reichard
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008 13:09 |
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Drive by any large British, European or Australian soccer stadium at night, and you'll swear it was high noon, as giant lighting rigs are set up on the pitch to encourage grass growth in the midst of darkness. The end results are impressive -- yes, the playing field will be in much better shape than otherwise -- but in these environmentally aware times, is it the best practice to use so much energy assuring football players have a plush playing field?
Take Arsenal. The club has installed one of the largest lighting rigs in the world, giving the club one of the worst carbon footprints in sports. Locals say the 12 lighting rigs at Emirates Stadium use enough energy to light a small village, as the club works to keep the turf healthy and green throughout most of the year. The installation is more than just a set of lamps: it's a $1.4 million (US) system fro Netherlands-based Stadium Grow Lighting Concepts that covers half the field and uses sensors to determine how much light is needed to keep the grass green.
All in all, 18 venues in the United Kingdom use similar lighting rigs, including Liverpool's Anfield, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Wembley and Manchester United's Old Trafford. They're also used worldwide: Telstra Dome in Sydney, Australia, for instance, sports 15 lighting rigs.
The lights are just one part of sophisticated field-management systems found in virtually every major soccer facility worldwide.
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