Introduction

Indoor five-a-side football is a fast ball sport . The official name of this sport , as recognized by FIFA , is ” Futsal ” . In casual conversation people may sometimes use the term “5-a-side football” but it is not the same kind of indoor sport. Standard five-a-side football only requires five players per team and the field is smaller, whereas traditional 11-a-side football requires 11 players on each team. The playing fields used for the two sports are very different in terms of surface materials. The 11-a-side outdoor playing fields are made of natural grass whereas the official Futsal matches are played on hard surfaces indoors. Such differences in playing surface and team make-up mean that futsal is a sport that tests players’ ball control, quick passing and movement, split-second decision-making and creativity on the field to a greater degree. As futsal is a high-speed indoor sport, field lighting plays a decisive role in ensuring the accuracy of players’ movements, visual clarity on the field, and the overall viewing experience. Authoritative bodies such as FIFA, UEFA, and the European lighting standard EN 12193 have established clear guidelines for professional 5-a-side soccer field lighting / futsal court lighting, covering key parameters such as horizontal illuminance, illuminance uniformity, vertical illuminance, uniformity gradient (What’s uniformity gradient in sports lighting?), and glare limits. This article will compare standard court dimensions, lighting fixture layout schemes, and lighting specifications for competitions at various levels to explain how to design a lighting system that meets professional futsal lighting standards. Let’s now proceed to the main body of the article for a detailed introduction.

Futsal court dimensions

FIFA certified futsal courts (5-a-side soccer fields), built to international standards, have fixed dimensions, which are quite different from those available in the EN 12193 lighting standard for professional 11-a-side soccer fields and amateur five-a-side fields. Official international five-a-side matches are played on pitches between 38 and 42 meters long and 20 to 25 meters wide, with 40 meters by 20 meters being the most common level size. On the other hand, futsal courts used for non-international competitions can have a broader range of dimensions, measuring between 25 and 42 meters in length and 16 to 25 meters in width. The dimensions are more flexible for five-a-side games played indoors or at the amateur level. The length can be between 20m and 40m, while the width can be between 18.5m and 20m. A standard 11-a-side football pitch can be up to 105m by 68m, giving a much larger playing area in comparison. According to the EN 12193 standard (More about EN12193), the dimensions of a 5-a-side soccer field are different from those of a futsal court, with a length between 30 and 40 meters and a width between 18.5 and 20 meters. These unique dimensional and structural differences have varying levels of influence on the lighting layout and illuminance standards of the futsal lighting. Below is the floor plan of a standard 40×20-meter futsal court. As shown in the diagram, the futsal court has a center circle with a radius of 3 m and corner arcs with a radius of 0.25 m. The standard penalty spot is 6 m from the goal line, the second penalty spot is 10 m from the goal line. The penalty area is a quarter circle with a radius of 6 m and a depth of 5 m along the goal line. The substitution zones are marked with 5 meters lines on either side of the center line.

Futsal lighting requirement

Lighting for indoor five-a-side football (futsal) must be designed according to different categories, taking into account the level of competition, the spectator experience and broadcast requirements. The core references for this are the European standard EN 12193, the French Football Federation (FFF) classification system and UEFA’s specifications for top-tier competitions. EN 12193 classifies pitch lighting into three categories: training and recreation, amateur matches and professional matches, with horizontal illuminance and illuminance uniformity as the key assessment criteria. Class I lighting has the highest requirements (Eh > 750, U2 > 0.70), Class II lighting has the next highest requirements (Eh > 500 lx, U2 > 0.70), whilst Class III lighting has the lowest requirements (Eh > 200, U2 > 0.50); The FFF, on the other hand, establishes four levels ranging from EFutsal 4 to EFutsal 1, with horizontal illuminance ranging from 200 lx to 750 lx; the higher the level, the more stringent the requirements for illuminance uniformity, glare control and color rendering (CRI ≥ 80). Compared with EN 12193, it adds only one additional level (300 lx and U2 > 0.50), whilst remaining almost identical in other respects; however, it includes additional requirements regarding illuminance levels during maintenance. For top-tier televised events such as the UEFA Futsal Champions League, vertical illuminance (More about vertical illuminance which is requirement by televisioned sports lighting) is also assessed as a core standard alongside horizontal illuminance. For example, group stage and knockout matches require a minimum of 1,200 lx, whilst the final stage must reach 1,800 lx; furthermore, the venue must be equipped with an emergency lighting system providing an illuminance of at least 1,000 lx. In summary, futsal lighting is not governed by a single illuminance standard; parameters must be tailored to the specific scenario, with comprehensive control over multiple indicators including illuminance, uniformity, glare and color rendering (CRI vs luminous efficacy).

Futsal lighting layout

Once the lighting objectives including illuminance, uniformity and glare limit for your futsal lighting project have been clarified, the next key focus is on the two major considerations: luminaire selection and layout. Luminaire selection involves the type of luminaire (typically floodlights), wattage and light distribution, whilst layout concerns how these luminaires should be positioned (installation locations and aiming points). Together, these two factors determine whether the lighting on a futsal pitch will enhance the competitive and spectator experience, or become a source of constant complaints—as inappropriate choices may result in the pitch being only partially illuminated (uneven lighting) or even cause severe glare (How to reduce glare in sports lighting?). Many designers place too much emphasis on the brightness (luminous flux) of the luminaires, whilst neglecting the precise control of their light distribution and placement.

The key to the futsal lighting layout for indoor courts lies in managing the players’ upward line of sight, rather than simply covering the entire ceiling with fixtures such as factory lights. When luminaires are suspended in the center of the pitch or directly above the goals, players are forced to look directly into the light source whilst tracking high balls, resulting in severe glare. With the continuous optimization of LED luminaire light distribution, the current effective approach is to position luminaires outside the players’ primary upward field of view. The mainstream practice involves installing luminaires in rows on the roof structure above (on the outer side of) the court’s long sides. Where conditions permit, light can be projected from multiple directions to intersect at different points within the court, thereby eliminating shadows and ensuring uniformity, whilst effectively reducing glare. Installation height is also a key factor affecting lighting performance. Generally speaking, the higher the luminaires are suspended, the wider and softer the light distribution, and the better the glare control. For example, the French FFF standard provides a formula for calculating installation height: Hmin = (d + l/2) × tan(25°), where H is the luminaire installation height, d is the horizontal distance from the light pole to the touchline, and l is the width of the pitch. When the installation height is low, the requirements for the luminaire’s light distribution are often more stringent, and the aiming point (What’s aiming points of sports flood lights – target aiming or degree aiming?) must be optimized.

Unlike indoor futsal lighting, where factory lights are suspended from the ceiling, outdoor futsal courts do not have ceilings. In most cases, outdoor futsal courts are relatively rare; what is commonly referred to as a ‘futsal court’ is more akin to a five-a-side football pitch, and typically features artificial turf rather than an indoor flooring surface. As luminaires are typically mounted on the side fencing or on lighting columns, we need to adjust the aiming angle of the floodlights (ZGSM flood lights). At the same time, the use of asymmetrical light distribution is essential to minimize glare. When luminaires are positioned around the perimeter, they illuminate the pitch at a lateral angle; as this is generally perpendicular to the players’ forward and backward movement paths, it effectively reduces glare. Even without a tilt angle, asymmetrical light distribution effectively controls glare, as players rarely have the opportunity to look directly at the light source. To achieve optimal lighting uniformity and minimize shadows, we can install additional luminaires (or lighting columns); however, this will result in a corresponding increase in costs. In summary, an excellent outdoor (and indoor) futsal lighting layout should ensure that players have a clear and comfortable field of vision when looking up to pass or shoot, without having to subconsciously squint; the light should illuminate the pitch without interfering with the match itself.

Examples of futsal lighting design

Below, we present futsal lighting designs (simulations) for a standard 40×20-metre futsal court, one for an indoor setting and one for an outdoor setting. The former utilizes the mounting brackets described in the previous section, with futsal lights arranged on both sides, whilst the latter employs lamp posts; we have compared the results of both a two-post and a four-post installation.

Indoor futsal lighting design

The indoor futsal lights are mounted on brackets, with the luminaires fixed in rows along the upper sections of the two long sides of the roof structure at a height of 6 metres. The illuminance requirement is set at 300 lux. It is proposed to use 200 W luminaires with a luminous efficacy of 150 lm/W. Using the calculation formula, we obtain the number of luminaires as 300 × 20 × 40 / 0.8 / 0.7 / 30,000 ≈ 14. The light distribution is asymmetrical, but there are distinctions between the goal areas and the center of the pitch. The figure below is a false-color map, showing how we have achieved uniform coverage across the entire pitch by utilizing the overlap of light spots on both sides. The results indicate that the horizontal illuminance uniformity (U2) can reach 0.74 or higher, with an illuminance of 316 lx, meeting the set target. The Dialux simulation (ZGSM lighting simulation) also verified the GR glare index, with results showing that the GR values are all below 35, thus complying with the <50 requirement. This ensures that players will not be affected by uncomfortable glare when looking up to pass or shoot. Of course, should it be necessary to switch to the requirements of EN 12193 Class I lighting (illuminance ≥ 500 lx and U2 ≥ 0.7), we need only increase the wattage; there is no need to change the light distribution or the futsal lighting layout.

Outdoor futsal lighting design

For an outdoor 40×20-metre futsal court, we use lighting columns to install these floodlights or high-mast lights. Below, we compare two configurations: a two-pole configuration (one pole on each side) is less expensive, but as the light is projected from single points on both sides, although the average illuminance can reach 312, the illuminance at the four corners is clearly insufficient. Consequently, the minimum illuminance is currently only 190 lx, indicating poor uniformity (U2 of just 0.61), making it suitable only for recreational training. When the four-pole solution (two poles on each side, arranged at the four corners) is adopted, light is projected from four directions in an intersecting pattern, ensuring sufficient overlap of the light spots. The overall light uniformity (What’s light uniformity and how to improve it?) reaches 0.77, which is significantly better than the former. Of course, when using two lighting poles, we can install four luminaires on each pole; results show that the lighting effect falls between the two previous options, with an illuminance of 321 lx and a uniformity of 0.72, which meets the requirements for amateur leagues and club training. ZGSM believes that whilst the four-pole scheme involves a higher initial investment, it brings about a qualitative improvement in lighting quality, whereas the two-pole scheme (with four luminaires per pole) places higher demands on the futsal lighting design and the light distribution of the luminaires.

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Summary

This paper systematically sets out the technical requirements and design methods for futsal lighting either for indoor or outdoor futsal venues. It begins by highlighting the fundamental differences between futsal and standard five-a-side football, as well as 11-a-side football, in terms of pitch dimensions, surface material and the number of players. It emphasizes that the characteristics of indoor hard surfaces and high-speed attacking and defending place greater demands on ball control and split-second decision-making, whilst scientific lighting is a key prerequisite for ensuring players’ visual accuracy and spectator comfort. Subsequently, based on standards set by FIFA, UEFA and EN 12193, the paper clarifies the differences in pitch dimensions between FIFA-certified pitches (primarily 40 m × 20 m) and non-international competition pitches. Regarding illuminance requirements, the paper compares the three-tier classification of EN 12193, the four-tier system of the French Football Federation (FFF), and the stringent criteria for vertical illuminance (up to 1,800 lx) and emergency lighting for top-tier UEFA broadcast matches, emphasizing that illuminance, uniformity, glare and color rendering must be balanced in accordance with the level of competition. The layout section focuses on how indoor pitches can avoid obstructing players’ upward field of view, install luminaires along the outer edges of the long sides to reduce glare, and provides the formula for calculating installation height; for outdoor pitches, the balance between uniformity and glare control is achieved through the arrangement of lighting columns combined with symmetrical or asymmetrical light distribution (More about Symmetric or asymmetric lighting distribution). Finally, Dialux simulations comparing indoor bracket-mounted installations (at a height of 8 meters, with 14 × 200W luminaires, U2 ≥ 0.74, GR < 35) with outdoor dual-pole and quad-pole configurations verified the actual performance of illuminance and uniformity under different lighting layouts. This article aims to provide designers with a comprehensive solution—from interpreting standards and selecting parameters to optimizing layouts—to ensure the high-quality implementation of lighting for futsal courts (5-a-side football pitches). For further information, please contact ZGSM.

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