Volleyball Court Lighting Designs

FLAGSTAFF ATHLETIC CLUB
Volleyball Court Lighting Project
Flagstaff, Arizona
March 2009

PROJECT DETAILS
RLLD Design was contacted by an athletic club in Flagstaff, Arizona that was interested in upgrading their volleyball court lighting system. The club had many members, and boasted was a 4-court sand volleyball commercial facility which was used by local leagues for games and tournaments. Over the years, the lights had deteriorated, and the club management decided it was time to consider replacement options.

CHALLENGES CLIENT WAS FACING
The existing lighting system was woefully inadequate for a multi-directional, fast moving sport such as volleyball. The existing court lighting system consisted of nothing more than a set of wooden poles and quartz halogen lamps. While these courts definitely needed more foot candles in the play areas, there were two things we had to keep in mind while proposing them system. One was dark sky regulations. Arizona has some of the most restrictive lighting ordinances in the nation, so we had to carefully study the lighting code book from the City of Flagstaff to find the most appropriate equipment options.

The second challenge was client budget. Operating costs had risen over the years, while membership had remained static. The client asked us to propose two volleyball court lighting systems at different price points so they could determine which one would work best for them.

LIGHTING DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
The four court layout was also a considerable challenge for our design team. It offered very little room for interior pole placement due to safety concerns. All volleyball court lights would therefore have to be mounted on perimeter poles.

The interior court boundaries would suffer from lower levels than rest of court surface, but foot candles levels would still meet acceptable minimums.

PHOTOMETRIC ANALYSIS SOFTWARE HELPED TO DEVELOP A CUSTOM LIGHTING PLAN BASED ON IESNA STANDARDS.
It was necessary for us to maintain an average of 24 foot candles throughout the entirety of the playing areas. With the eight pole lighting system, we were able to achieve a max to min ratio of 2.3: 1. We were also able to show the client a rendered 3D view of all four volleyball courts to completely illustrate the lighting system and its capabilities.

FINAL SYSTEM PROPOSED
For fixtures, we decided to use our CXL Series court lights as they were full cut off, and specifically designed for all volleyball court sports lighting kit situations. We proposed two different layouts—an 8-pole layout, and a 4-pole layout. We strongly discouraged the client from going with the 4-pole system because the luminance levels were sub-par at best.

Although the cost was higher, the client eventually opted for the 8-pole layout. The simple design of equipment fit with the club aesthetics, wind load capacitance met with regulations, and the CXL series fixtures met with all dark sky ordinances. RLLD further assisted the athletic club by consulting with the local electrical contractor to properly place, orient, and install equipment.

OTHER SPORTS LIGHTING FIXTURE INFORMATION:

Baseball Field Lighting
RLL Design baseball lighting fixtures feature sophisticated optics and advanced reflectors that generate superior lumens per watt output in comparison to competing models.....

Soccer Field Lighting
Soccer field sports lighting fixture design depends a great deal on the height of the poles you choose, which is why RLL Design inventories a wide range of light poles and pole mounting accessories so you can position your athletic field lights at that appropriate levels.....

Tennis Court Lighting
Tennis court lighting kits are designed by RLLD sports lighting experts to produce optimal footcandle levels and excellent color rendering. A variety of optical systems and sophisticated reflectors keep the light centered in the court.....

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of industrial, sports lighting commercial grade light fixtures. If you can not find what you are looking for on our website contact us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and we will find it for you.

Check out our glossary of lighting terms and commercial lighting blog for answers and tips to many lighting issues.Our home office is located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including Sault Ste Marie, MI (CIU), Cleveland, OH, (CLE), College Station, TX (CLL), Port Angeles, WA (CLM), Charlotte, NC (CLT), Columbus, OH (CMH), Champaign, IL (CMI), Hancock, MI (CMX), Cody, WY (COD) and Colorado Springs, CO (COS).

Beach Volleyball Court Lighting Fixture Kits

We were contacted by a resort in Florida that had a clubhouse and a volleyball court not too far from the bleach. A number of different types of volleyball matches were played on this court, and the resort wanted us to install lights that could be used for all levels of play. They also requested that we illuminate all outdoor areas under the stadium with the most energy efficient athletic sports field lights possible.

Although this was not a professional facility, it was nonetheless a very popular location for a number of local tournament games—many of which were televised. Normally, non-televised volleyball tournaments need anywhere from 50-100 foot candles of light on the court. Once TV cameras become involved, however, foot candle minimums go up to over 115 feet. In effect, our client required one volleyball stadium lighting system that could perform like three. This system also had to be mounted on poles that could take the battering of Florida Coast hurricanes. Decorative wooden poles would be out of the question, but we already had a very attractive alternative in mind.

Our principal approach to this undertaking was to install energy efficient lighting using volleyball court lights on three independent switch sets. Each switch would control a distinct group of fixtures that would produce the f/c levels necessary recreational, tournament, and televised play. So that we could generate increasingly higher levels of light and simultaneously eliminate glare, we used IES files with our photometric lighting software to study the output generated by various fixture types and optics options. This allowed us to determine the specifications for each fixture install and calculate the very best lighting angles that would produce an evenly-lit court without reflected glare. We also calculated the location of television cameras and made further fine-tuning adjustments to both direction and optics requirements to prevent spill light from interfering with camera lenses.

The resort was delighted with our proposal and was more than happy to invest in our innovative design work. After viewing our prior art and lighting case studies they purchased three dimensional models created by our software and passed them to a local contractor hired for the installation. He had agreed o do the job in 2/3 the normal time if such a systematic layout of the proposed system could be made available.

Even though we could not used wooden poles because of wind zone laws, we were able to locate rust-colored, galvanized steel light poles that looked like decorative wooden poles. For outdoor areas underneath the bleachers, we specified pulse-start metal halide low bays that provide bright light around concession areas and restrooms.

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of industrial & commercial lighting fixtures. If you can not find what you are looking for call us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and we will find it for you.

Our lighting design studios and home office are located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including like Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL), Orlando, Florida (MCO), Santa Monica, CA, (LAX) Columbus, Ohio (CMH) (LGA) New York, NY, (JKF), St. Louis, MO, Detroit, Michigan (DTW), Madison, WI (MSN), San Francisco, California (SFO), and Omaha, Nebraska (OMA).

Volleyball Court Lighting Packages

Because of the rising popularity of private volleyball courts and recreational volleyball courts in neighborhood recreation areas, the floodlights of yesteryear are soon to become outdated and stand to be replaced by sharp cutoff volleyball court lighting fixtures with metal halide or high pressure sodium lamps. Cut-off style fixtures provide a higher level of control of volleyball lighting and minimize light spillage, making them the best choices for schools, churches, YMCAʼs, and even personal backyards in cities with very strict dark sky compliance laws. Cut-off style volleyball court lights also look more attractive than traditional shoebox lighting designs and serve to better compliment building architecture and surrounding landscapes.

RLLD Commercial Lighting offers a wide range of fixture types and lamp wattages for recreational and professional volleyball court lighting and can show you first hand with actual lighting case studies of completed projects. For private courts, we recommend that you consult with an electrician who can install this equipment, as a number of calculations have to be factored into the equation when choosing and installing lights for a volleyball court. The standard court normally measures 60ʼ by 30ʼ, although these dimensions can vary in a number of private settings and special recreational facilities.

Working with a trained expert in RLLD Commercial Lighting will save a contractor a great deal of time doing all the math necessary to make all the necessary adjustments needed to light a volleyball court that deviates in any respect from standard measurements. It is also necessary to take a number of additional factors into considerations as follows:

Pole and Fixture Placement
In most volleyball court lighting systems, it is a good idea to use one double lighting kit on either side of the court. RLLD Commercial Lighting has a number of wooden and steel poles that come in both standard and decorative designs. We also have mounting brackets that can be used to mount one or more fixtures to trees growing near the court.

As a general rule, add approximately 20ʼ to the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the court in order to light both the court and sideline areas.

Fixture Attributes
The sheik cutoff design that characterizes by RLLD Commercial Volleyball court lighting fixtures gives them a strong competitive advantage over other types of fixtures. They present a much less obtrusive, almost low-profile appearance compared to the more bulky shoebox lights that are often used for tennis court lighting. The cutoff design also delivers a qualitative advantage over floodlights because it lights only the volleyball court and sideline areas with minimal light spillage beyond the court itself.

Lamps can be ordered from RLLD Commercial Lighting either in high pressure sodium (good for repelling insects) or metal halide choices (ideal for white light that nears natural light in quality). Contact one of our specialists about the wattage and ballast options that best suit your particular facility.

Fixture Mounting Height
Our diversity of volleyball court lighting poles and mounts makes it simple and quick for contractors to find exactly what they need to position fixtures at exactly the height necessary to avoid blinding the eyes of players and creating light pollution. RLLD Commercial Lighting experts will also help contractors and design professionals determine which poles and mounts can best withstand any high winds in a given part of the country with charts and up-to-date information on EPA codes and requirements.

Quantity and Quality of Light
Working with a distributor like RLLD Commercial lighting gives the freelance lighting designer access to top commercial grade lamps and fixtures. This helps ensure that glare and light pollution are eliminated for the greater comfort, safety, and enjoyment of the game. RLLD Commercial Lighting specialists will provide complimentary phone-based consulting to clients and serious inquirers and detailed advisory services for a small fee to the casual inquirer. Call us now to find both special volleyball lighting equipment and custom volleyball lighting packages made for end-users needs foremost in mind.

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of athletic field commercial sports lighting fixtures:

Soccer Field Lighting
Baseball Field Lighting
Softball Field Lighting
Basketball Court Lighting
Rodeo & Horse Arena Lighting
Golf Course & Driving Range Lighting
Football Field Lighting Fixtures
Tennis Court Lighting

If you can not find what you are looking for call us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and we will find it for you. Our lighting desigers are located in Houston, Texas with regional vendors located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including New York NY, Los Angeles CA, Miami, FL. Chicago, IL. Denver CO., New Orleans, La., Cleveland, Ohio, Kansas City, Mo., Mesa, Arizona, Virginia Beach, Va., Omaha, Nebraska, Oakland, California, Miami, Florida, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Arlington, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, Denton, TX, McKinney, Texas, Midland, TX, Killeen, Texas, Dallas TX, San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX, ALBQ, NYC, LA, MPLS.