sports lighting
Athletics track floodlighting for clubs and communities
Training that carries on through the dark winter evenings, lower electricity bills, and a track your athletes can use safely from one end of the year to the other. That is what good floodlighting brings to an athletics facility, and it is what we handle from the first design to the final switch-on.
WHAT WE DO
At SBE, we design and install LED floodlighting for athletics tracks across Ireland, from a community club track to a full regional competition facility.
Athletics lives on those winter evenings when the light is gone by five, so getting the lighting right matters here more than almost anywhere else. We take the technical side off your hands and keep you clear on what happens at every step.
Why Athletics Facilities Are Switching to LED Floodlighting
Good lighting does more than brighten the track. For most facilities, it decides how many months of the year athletes can actually train.
Here is what a well-designed LED system does for your track:
Training right through the winter.
When the evenings draw in, your athletes can keep training and competing rather than losing half the year to darkness.
Lower running costs.
LED floodlights typically cut lighting electricity use by up to 50%, and often more when they replace older high-wattage lamps, which is money that stays in the club.
Even, glare-free-light.
A track needs consistent light the whole way round, with no dark patches on the bends, so athletes can judge their speed and stride safely.
Fewer callouts.
Quality LED fittings can last 20 years or more, so you are not hiring access equipment to replace lamps every couple of seasons.
A facility the whole community uses.
Tracks serve club athletes, schools, and recreational runners alike, and good lighting keeps the gates open for all of them.
What the athletics lighting standards mean for your facility
As a rough guide, training is usually lit to around 200 lux, club competition to around 300 lux, and top-level competition to around 500 lux, in line with the European standard EN 12193 and the guidance of World Athletics and Athletics Ireland. Uniformity matters as much as the headline number, because an even wash of light with no dark spots is what lets a sprinter run flat out into a bend with confidence.
The field events deserve special care. High jump, pole vault, and the throws all send the athlete’s eye or the implement upward, so the lighting has to be laid out to control glare and light those areas properly, not just the running lanes. This is exactly the kind of detail we work through in the design.
We confirm the exact lux level and uniformity your facility will achieve for the events you host before a single mast goes up, and if you are aiming to host bigger meets in future, we design with that next level in mind.
A turnkey service, from first design to final switch-on.
That is exactly the part we take care of.
Here is what we handle for you:
Free lighting design.
We survey your facility and produce a detailed plan showing where the masts go and the lux levels you will achieve across both the track and the infield.
Installation.
Our team handles the civil works, the masts, the electrics, and the fittings, and leaves your facility tidy.
Planning and permissions.
We prepare the planning application and the light-spill drawings your council needs, and we manage the back-and-forth. Keeping light off nearby homes and roads is a common concern, and we design for it from the start.
Fewer callouts.
We test the finished system against your target lux levels and hand you the documentation to prove it meets the standard.
Grant support.
We help you build the lighting section of your funding application with the quotes and technical detail assessors look for.
Cutting your electricity bills with LED
Electricity is one of the biggest running costs any facility carries, and floodlights are a large part of that. Older metal halide systems burn through power, take an age to warm up, and fade as the lamps age, so you end up paying more for less light.
A modern LED system changes the numbers. You get up to 50% lower lighting energy use, instant full brightness at the flick of a switch, and controls that let you light only the lanes or the areas you are using on any given evening. Over a 20-year lifespan, those savings add up to a serious amount your club can put straight back into athletes, coaching, and facilities.
Grant support for your lighting project
Most clubs fund floodlighting through the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP), now running as the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF). It is the main source of Government funding for sports facilities in Ireland, and lighting upgrades are exactly the kind of project it supports. Larger regional track facilities may also be eligible for the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF), which is aimed at bigger projects.
Grants can cover a significant share of the cost, with a strong recent emphasis on energy efficiency that plays right into an LED upgrade. We have supported clubs through the process before, and we will help you put a lighting application together that stands the best chance when the next round opens.
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How much does athletics track floodlighting cost?
It depends on the size of your facility, the lux level you need, and whether you are starting from scratch or upgrading existing masts. We give you a clear, itemised quote after the free lighting design, with no surprises later.
How many lux does an athletics track need?
Training is usually lit to around 200 lux, club competition to around 300 lux, and top-level competition to around 500 lux, with even uniformity across the track and infield. We confirm the exact figure for your facility as part of the design.
Does the lighting cover the fields events too?
Yes. We light the full facility, both the running lanes and the central infield for jumps and throws, with careful glare control for events where the athlete looks upward.
Can we get a grant for the lighting?
Yes. Most clubs fund lighting through the Sports Capital grant, now the Community Sport Facilities Fund, and larger facilities may also look to the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund. We help you prepare the lighting side of the application.
Do we need planning permission?
New floodlighting usually needs planning permission. We prepare the application and the light-spill drawings and manage the process with your local authority, with particular care taken where a track sits near homes or roads.
get started
Ready to Light Up Your Track?
Whether you are planning ahead for the next grant round or ready to start now, the first step is a free lighting design for your facility. There is no cost and no pressure, just a clear picture of what your club can achieve.
Get your free athletics track lighting today.
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