Australian Standards for Lighting - Sports Lighting

Australian standards for lighting for your sports field, courts or playing areas are dependent on the level of competition that will take place and the related standards, where available, for lighting levels and lighting uniformity.

Key Australian standards for lighting which apply to Sports Lighting include:

AS 2560.1:2018 – Sports Lighting Part 1: General Principles
AS 2560.2:2021 – Sports Lighting Part 2: Specific Applications
AS 4282:2019 – Control of the obtrusive effects of outdoor lighting

It is important to note that not all sports applications are currently covered under AS 2560.2, however the committee board of LG-009 Sports Lighting is working to introduce and include further sports and activities which require sports lighting. Halliday Lighting Australia have a representative on this committee so please do reach out to us for current guidance and updates.

For Australian standards for lighting relating to the following sports, please click the relevant link from the list below:

The following tables provide an overview of the floodlighting standards for various sports which we have not covered in individual articles within Support Hub.

Netball and Basketball – AS 2560.2.4

Level	Average horizontal maintained illuminance	Minimum horizontal uniformity		Maximum glare rating
Level	Eh lux	U1Min/Avg	U2Min/Max	GR
Recreation or training and low-level local competition	100	0.5	0.3	50
Mid-level local and regional competition, high level training	200	0.6	0.4	50
International and national competition with large spectator galleries	500	0.7	0.5	45

Lawn Bowls – AS 2560.2.8

Level	Average horizontal maintained illuminance	Minimum horizontal uniformity		Maximum uniformity gradient	Maximum glare rating
Level	Eh lux	U1Min/Avg	U2Min/Max	UG (per 2m)	GR
Recreation, training and competition	100	0.6	0.4	1.43	50

(The tables above provide only some of the key values set out in the standards. For more detailed information, guidance documents are available below in the Useful Links section.)

What do these terms mean?

Illuminance – the term used to describe the level of light on a surface in lumens/m² or lux.
Maintained illuminance – is the term used to describe the average illuminance on a reference surface at the time maintenance must be carried out.
Eh lux – Average maintained illuminance.
U1Min/Avg – The lowest recorded lux value on the playing surface divided by the average.
U2Min/Max – The lowest recorded lux value on the playing surface divided by the highest value.

Our team of lighting experts are available to answer any queries you may have about floodlights and to support you through the planning and design stages of your sports lighting project. If you would like to discuss the floodlight requirements for your sports facility with one of our experienced team members, please contact us by clicking here.

Useful Links:
NSW Office of Sport – Outdoor Design
Queensland Government Sports Field Lighting – Get in the Game

Disclaimer:
The information provided on this page has been collated from various sources, including those provided above in Useful Links. This information may be subject to change at any time by sports governing bodies and standards agencies.

Australian Sports Lighting Standards

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