Floodlight project: from the club resolution to commissioning

First clarify what the light is needed for: training, match play, which league. The lighting class follows from that. For a retrofit, a survey of the existing system is part of it. Landsberg am Lech examined the remaining service life of the system in advance and inspected all masts.

Also clarify who owns the facility. Responsibility and funding depend on it. In Dettingen unter Teck, the club applied for the system to the municipality, which owns the sports facilities. The paper for the municipal council combined construction, financing and the funding application. Obtain the necessary resolution from the board, members' meeting or municipal council early.

For municipalities, the Kommunalrichtlinie is the main option; for sports clubs, the programmes of the state and Landessportbund. Under the Kommunalrichtlinie, anyone who starts before approval generally receives no funding, and even signing a supply or service contract counts as a start. According to the funding body, processing takes up to five months, and it recommends starting no earlier than six to eight months after the application.

State programmes have their own rules. After an application has been submitted, the Landessportbund Niedersachsen allows a start at one's own financial risk, but for measures requiring a permit it demands the building permit by 28 February of the funding year. Check the rules of your programme before you sign anything.

The lighting calculation runs in parallel with funding, because the application needs its results. For sports facilities, the Kommunalrichtlinie requires a design to DIN EN 12193 by a qualified specialist planner, and planning services may be carried out before the application. According to the floodlighting guide from the football associations of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the mounting height is also to be determined as part of the planning.

For the calculation we need the sport, level of play, pitch dimensions, mast locations and mast heights. We supply the lighting calculation. For existing masts, the structural stability check belongs in this phase: we supply dimensions, weights and the lighting calculation for your masts. The structural stability certificate is prepared by a structural engineer or a testing company.

Ask the local building authority early whether the system needs a permit. Building law is state law, and the limits for floodlight masts differ. Where neighbours are affected, light pollution also plays a role: in Sittensen it had to be assessed as part of the building permit.

For a building application, the association guide names the structural calculation for foundations. According to the association guide, a ground survey creates planning and cost certainty.

You may obtain quotes before the decision if the request expressly states: award and contract only if funding is approved. Under the Kommunalrichtlinie, the order is placed only afterwards. In Dettingen, the administration was therefore to put the work out to limited tender only after the funding application was approved.

Observe the requirements of your funding programme. For awards and contract conclusions, the Kommunalrichtlinie gives a deadline of nine months after the start of the project term at the latest. The Landessportbund Niedersachsen generally requires three quotes and documentation of the procedure and result for orders of €3,000 or more excluding VAT.

Record the condition before the conversion in photos, because for sports facilities the funder requires photo documentation before and after. Plan the installation with the surfaces in mind: according to the association guide, aerial work platforms can damage turf areas through tracks and compaction. The construction time depends on the project. TC Rondorf in Cologne gives 1.5 weeks for its system with 4 masts on 4 tennis courts.

After completion, according to the association guide, a measurement report follows: the area is divided into a grid in accordance with DIN EN 12193, and a measurement is taken at every point. The operator receives the result in writing.

• Average, minimum and maximum illuminance
• Uniformity
• Glare
• Total power in kW

After that, operation continues with recurring inspections. The association guide names at least every 4 years for the electrical system and every 6 years for structural stability, if the mast has not been altered or damaged. If funded, you submit the proof of use after the end of the project term.