Introduction

The multipurpose sports arena is the heart of the community life and hosts all sorts of sporting events like volleyball, basketball, handball and badminton as well as a wide range of social activities. The facility is heavily used by schools, local clubs and the general public so the lighting must be suitable for different sports and ensure the safety and comfort of all users. Quality lighting is not simply about achieving certain levels of illumination, but careful consideration of lens choice, glare control and luminaire layout. As old-fashioned light sources are gradually replaced by modern LED technology, high-quality and energy-efficient lighting can be provided that enhances athletic performance and provides a quick ROI. This guide outlines the lighting requirements for multi-purpose sports halls, focusing primarily on illuminance, uniformity (Light uniformity or uniformity gradient), and color rendering index (CRI). It also highlights glare—which affects lighting comfort—and flicker issues in television broadcast scenarios. Additionally, this article will focus on lighting layouts for multi-sports halls, aiming to help you create practical, cost-effective, and competitive lighting solutions for multi-purpose sports halls. Let’s now proceed to the main text for a detailed introduction.

Multi-purpose sports field Lighting standard

The foundation of any professional sports lighting design is adherence to established standards, with EN 12193 serving as the primary reference standard for sports lighting – sports hall lighting in Europe. This standard specifies minimum requirements for key photometric parameters, ensuring uniformity and quality across different competition levels. However, upon reviewing the standard, we were unable to find specific lighting requirements for multipurpose courts. ZGSM therefore recommends that venue owners select the appropriate lighting class based on the types of events and competition levels the facility may host. Since most multipurpose courts are used for basketball and volleyball, and as indicated in the EN 12193 standard (EN12193 sports lighting standard), both sports utilize three lighting classes: Class I: for high-level competitions and professional events, requiring an average horizontal illuminance of 750 lux with a uniformity of >0.7; Class II: For semi-professional or regional competitions, requiring 500 lux with an uniformity of 0.7; Class III: For basic training and recreational use, requiring 200 lux with an uniformity of 0.5. For tennis and badminton courts, the requirements for Class I and Class II are identical to those listed above; only Class III requires 300 lux. Additionally, badminton has specific requirements for vertical illuminance.

In addition to illuminance, the standard specifies quality parameters such as glare rating (GR< 55) and color rendering index (CRI). For example, a color rendering index higher than 80 is recommended for most indoor sports to ensure natural color perception. It should be noted that these are only minimum requirements; designing to the highest level (such as Level 1) allows for the needs of lower-level activities to be met through dimming, which is a common recommended practice for multipurpose sports hall lighting.

Pay attention to others more than lux in sports hall lighting

Although achieving the correct illuminance level is crucial, focusing solely on this metric can also result in a poor lighting experience. Visual comfort is essential for both athletes and spectators, and it depends on several factors that are often overlooked.

Glare control: Glare causes discomfort and impairs athletes’ ability to see the ball or other players. Using precision optical components (such as asymmetric light distribution), anti-glare shields, and reducing the luminaire’s installation elevation angle all help minimize direct glare. Indoor courts require a glare rating (GR) of 40 or below, while outdoor courts require a GR of 55 or below. The higher the venue’s level, the stricter the GR requirements; accordingly, we must implement appropriate measures to lower the GR and ensure visual comfort.

Vertical illuminance and uniformity: Horizontal illuminance on the ground is not enough for fast-moving sports. Vertical illuminance is the amount of light on a vertical plane which helps with tracking the ball and clearly seeing other players’ faces. Sports like badminton and field hockey need vertical illuminance levels of 200-500 lux. Uniformity also determines the evenness of light distribution across the surface. Good light uniformity (How to improve light uniformity?) means no obvious bright or dark areas which increases visual comfort.

Flicker-free lighting: Flicker from lighting, especially from low-quality LED lights, can easily cause distraction, visual fatigue and may even affect the nervous system. In activities involving video or slow-motion replays, flicker-free lighting equipment must be used to prevent streaks and artifacts from appearing in the footage. Quality LED drivers are required for flicker free lighting. They efficiently reduce ripple noise and light flickering (More about light flickering) and meet the requirements for high speed camera recording.

CRI and TLCI: Lights with a higher color rendering index (CRI) can make objects appear more realistic. In a sports stadium, good color rendering means that athletes can accurately distinguish the colors of different team uniforms and balls, and referees can accurately judge the boundaries. A high TLCI enables cameras to faithfully reproduce the colors of the playing field—including players’ jerseys, key logos, balls, billboards, and other objects on the field—thereby presenting a true-to-life view to viewers at home. To learn more about CRI and TLCI in sports hall lighting, please check out our blog post – CRI vs TLCI.

The dimension of multi-sports hall or gymnasium

There are no uniform, fixed standard dimensions for multipurpose sports arenas; their actual size is influenced by factors such as the year the facility was built and whether it includes spectator stands. Additionally, if only basketball, volleyball, and tennis are played in the venue, the playing area will be relatively small; if futsal and handball are played, the playing area will be relatively large. The usual sizes of gymnasiums are 40 m × 20 m and 44 m × 24 m, which provides for greater versatility. The final overall size of the venue is closely related to the competition level, which can be divided into five tiers, including county level, regional level, inter-regional level, national level, and international level. Different sports and levels of competition require different venue lengths, widths and clear heights. For example, venues for international-level basketball competitions must measure 32 × 19 m; handball venues use dimensions of 44 m × 24 m depending on the competition level; and tennis courts use dimensions of 36 m × 18 m. When performing Dialux sports hall lighting simulations (More about sports lighting simulations), it is necessary to first determine the venue’s corresponding competition level and then select the appropriate venue dimensions to perform the lighting layout calculations.

Lighting layout for multi-sports hall lighting

Bilateral implantation for sports hall lighting

Bilateral lighting is a common lighting arrangement for indoor multipurpose sports arenas, with fixtures arranged in parallel rows along the long sides of the playing area. This layout helps achieve uniform horizontal illuminance across the entire venue and effectively controls glare for sports hall lighting. The figure below shows an actual case study from ZGSM. This solution utilizes 400W Zoom Series floodlights (Find more details about ZGSM Zoom series flood lights) with an asymmetric light distribution, with a total of 7 lights on each side. The resulting average illuminance is 752 lx, which complies with EN 12193 Class I lighting requirements. To meet the 500 lx requirement for Class II general competitions, the wattage or number of luminaires can be reduced; For Class III daily training requirements of 200 lux or 300 lux, we can lower the wattage of the fixtures; however, we do not recommend further reducing the number of fixtures, as this would negatively impact uniformity. A dual-side lighting layout is also well-suited for an asymmetric light distribution, which not only helps improve illuminance uniformity (＞0.7) but also effectively reduces glare. At the same time, a dual-side lighting arrangement effectively avoids the athletes’ upward line of sight, reducing visual interference caused by direct light in high-speed ball sports. This is highly beneficial for ensuring safety and visual comfort in sports such as volleyball, basketball, handball, and tennis.

Industrial implantation for sports hall lighting

For larger, taller venues, an “industrial” or grid-style layout is typically more effective. This involves arranging high-ceiling fixtures in a regular grid pattern on the ceiling to provide uniform lighting over large areas. This lighting arrangement is suitable for large multi-purpose arenas with ceiling heights of 8–12 meters and can simultaneously illuminate multiple sports courts, making it ideal for schools and large community multi-sport centers, as shown in the figure below. In a grid layout, fixtures should preferably be positioned above the aisles between playing areas rather than suspended directly above the net or the center of the court; this adverse effect is relatively minor at greater heights. This is to prevent athletes from seeing the fixtures directly when they look up. We recommend that these fixtures be equipped with light shields to prevent strong light sources from being directly exposed to athletes’ field of vision, which could cause uncomfortable glare (Learn more about glare and how to control it). Below are ZGSM’s design and lighting layout.

Side‑row pole implantation for sports hall lighting

Lighting on field-side poles is the most common lighting arrangement for outdoor rectangular multipurpose sports hall lighting. Floodlights are typically installed on four or more poles along the sidelines. These poles are generally positioned midway between the center line and the end line, while maintaining a certain distance from the sidelines to avoid encroaching on the safety buffer zone. In this scenario, luminaires equipped with an asymmetric light distribution (What’s symmetric and asymmetric light distribution?) can effectively cover the entire field area, providing not only good horizontal illuminance but also ensuring uniformity. In addition to effectively controlling glare, an asymmetric light distribution reduces light spill into surrounding residential areas, thereby minimizing unnecessary customer complaints. For complexes consisting of multiple interconnected outdoor sports fields, we recommend using taller light poles to cover large areas. Installing light poles between adjacent fields is clearly impractical, more costly, and can interfere with sports activities. Below are ZGSM’s design solution and lighting layout.

ZGSM sports lighting solutions

To find a comprehensive solution, you need to seek out a supplier capable of addressing all of the above dimensions. Installing LED lighting in a modern, multi-purpose sports arena requires a comprehensive consideration of multiple factors. In addition to metrics such as illuminance, uniformity, and glare—as specified in lighting standards—you should also pay attention to the product’s Color Rendering Index (CRI), luminous efficacy, service life, and warranty services. Lighting layout is equally important. Selecting an appropriate lighting layout based on the venue’s conditions not only helps control costs but also better meets specific lighting requirements. The sports hall lighting solutions from ZGSM prioritize lighting quality while balancing performance metrics such as color rendering index (CRI), flicker, light distribution, and luminous efficacy (What’s luminous efficacy?). We also offer a variety of lighting simulation services to our clients. Please contact ZGSM for more sports field lighting solutions, and below are sports lighting design for referenece.

Summary

Designing the perfect lighting for a multipurpose sports arena is about more than just providing light. It’s about creating an environment that promotes athletic performance and ensures the safety of those participating in the event. “By following standards such as EN 12193, experts can provide the right illuminance and uniformity for different levels of competition.” But a true sign of good design is attention to quality of light, controlled glare, sufficient vertical illuminance and flicker free operation. Choosing the right double-sided or industrial mesh luminaire solutions and implementing smart control systems (What’s smart control system?) are key to creating a flexible space that can be adapted to multiple activities. Today’s LED sports hall lighting provides the performance and energy efficiency required to make it a healthy, long term, sustainable investment for any community facility.

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