Save Your Energy for the Game: Switching Sport Lighting to LEDs

Cedric Collard - Schréder Sports Segment Manager
Cédric Collard
Business Segment Manager - Industry & Large area

Changing from traditional lighting to LED illumination has multiple benefits: over the past decade we have helped customers worldwide switch city centres, motorways and tunnels in order to save energy, money and maintenance time. In recent years, top sports clubs have started to invest in LED technology as well, and the uniform, glare-free lighting provided has been a hit with fans in the stadium and watching on TV alike. However, for most community-oriented and lower league clubs, it has been too costly and complicated to consider switching.  
 
We’ve explained how Schréder performs as a member of your team, to create and install the right lighting. We enable you to play, your way, at any hour of day or night. And we help you win, in every sense - we reduced the energy costs for lighting the Utah Grizzlies’ home stadium by 72%, a cool save for the ice hockey team. This kind of energy saving can make a huge difference to smaller clubs, so switching to LED means you can perform, play and win - with Schréder.

LED sports lighting cut energy costs by 72% for Maverick Centre in Utah


Brighter Lighting, Lighter Bills 

Although LED floodlights use much less energy than traditional sources, updating stadium lighting hasn’t always been straightforward. That’s changing: we have a wide range of floodlights to suit all sports, facilities and budgets. We believe clubs of every size should have optimal quality of light so players, spectators and referees have full visibility for every move of the game - and that any new lighting system should save you energy, money and time.  
 
One issue that has made clubs hold off on upgrading to LEDs is that the actual fittings for some LED floodlights can be bigger and heavier than legacy equipment. The new ECOBLAST’s modular system changes all that. The ECOBLAST can be combined using as many units as necessary for uniform glare-free lighting. It’s also the most aerodynamic LED system we’ve ever built.  
 
Together with our other LED sports lighting floodlights, such as OMNIBLAST, OMNISTAR and INDU FLOOD, which are already illuminating the game in renowned stadiums worldwide, we can create a tailored lighting solution that will save energy and minimise costs. 
 
All these systems can be controlled with the Schréder ITERRA system, which means that with a simple smartphone app, light can be adapted to different levels: maintenance, training, and matches in accordance with sports governing body standards. Users can choose the overall level of lighting they want based on a range of factors including national and league lighting requirements, power supply, pole strength and position, and price - and get the energy saving benefits of LEDs.  And all this always using the minimum amount of energy necessary.

 
Small Scale, Big Impact

Budgets can be tight at community-level sports clubs where the focus is having fun and keeping fit. Harnessing energy savings over the lifetime of the LED product can make real sense. Another benefit is that LEDs come on instantly, rather than consuming energy during the warm-up phase like traditional HID light sources. We’ve lit world-class stadia for UEFA matches, basketball championships and swimming tournaments - now we’re bringing that expertise to smaller local clubs with affordable solutions. 
 
For local clubs where sport isn’t the sole use, lighting can be adapted as the community needs. We can configure lighting to switch the same pitch between different sports, while the village dance, town bake sale or mayoral election has never been so well-lit! There’s no need to light a birthday party like a volleyball game, and our systems give customers total control over their lighting, as well as their energy bills. It also extends the hours facilities can be used, enabling later practice for those joining after work, making life easier for shift workers, and meaning play can take place after daylight hours in hot climates. Performance means meeting the customer’s requirements for their lighting all year round, not just on game night. 
 

Energy Saving is Just the Start of the Circle 

Most people play sport to stay fit, as well as have fun. There’s no point in sport supporting human health if it comes at the expense of the planet. Along with the vastly reduced energy consumption of LEDs, Schréder has long been a supporter of the circular economy; our products have always been engineered to last over time.  

ECOBLAST LED sports floodlight is designed to save energy and promote a circular economy

We are constantly working on ways to reduce our use of raw materials, reuse more, fix and upgrade fittings instead of making new ones, and ultimately recycle components and materials. The ECOBLAST has a four-star label under the Circle Light Label system, which designates products that are optimised for circular economy through 12 objective criteria to provide greater visibility and control over responsible sourcing. 

 
Your Team, Your Identity, Your LED Solution 

We’ve got decades of experience working with cities to provide lighting that reflects the best qualities of urban spaces. We’ve lit UNESCO-protected monuments, so we know how to make stadiums look spectacular while ensuring the community makes the most of its assets. That’s what we’re bringing to the world of sports.

Perform means getting high-performance lighting to make the absolute most out of the time you have as a team to train, practice and play. Great lighting means welcoming everyone, at any time, to spaces where communities come together to play, watch and have fun. We believe in getting to know your community and finding a lighting solution that works and suits your budget, so you can win with Schréder, the extra player on your team. 
 

About the writer
Cédric joined Schréder in 2013 with a solid experience in marketing. With his expertise and industry knowledge, Cédric leads the Industry and Large Area Business segments including Sport Lighting and Breeam certification. He collaborates with our research, product development, sales teams worldwide and sport associations to deliver sustainable and energy efficient lighting solutions, tailored to each individual project using the latest in lighting calculation software, lighting management systems and BIM techniques.

Connect with Cédric on LinkedIn