Hockey pitch with LED floodlighting at night, aerial view

Hockey · Lighting requirements

Floodlighting requirements in hockey by league

For hockey, DIN EN 12193 requires a uniformity of 0.7 in all lighting classes. Outdoors, training and regional competitions need at least 200 lx (Classes III and II), national and international competitions such as the 1. and 2. Bundesliga 500 lx (Class I). Indoors it is 300, 500 and 750 lx. According to the Hockeyliga, Bundesliga matches under floodlights are only permitted by arrangement with the match committee.

From Leon Weber, Key Account Manager Sport · As of: 5 November 2026

Overview by league

The standard assigns lighting classes by level of competition: international Class I, regional Class I or II, local Class I, II or III, training Class II or III, school and recreational sport Class III.

League / level	Lighting class / requirement	Requirement
1. and 2. Bundesliga	I	500 lx, U 0.7, GR ≤ 50; floodlit matches only by arrangement with the Bundesliga match committee
Regionalliga, Oberliga, Verbandsliga	DHB: III	200 lx, U 0.7, GR below 55; with TV 300 lx
Training	III or II	200 lx, U 0.7
School and recreational sport	III	200 lx, U 0.7
Indoor hockey	I to III	300 lx (III), 500 lx (II), 750 lx (I), U 0.7

lx = average horizontal illuminance (except Ecam), U = uniformity (E_min/E_m), GR = glare rating. Minimum values per DIN EN 12193 unless stated otherwise.

What do the values mean?

Lux tells you how much light reaches the pitch. Uniformity shows how evenly it is distributed, and the glare rating how strongly the floodlights cause glare.

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Illuminance (lx): How much light falls on a surface. 1 lx equals 1 lumen per square metre. For sports facilities, the average horizontal illuminance on the playing area is usually given.

Uniformity (U): Lowest divided by average illuminance. The closer the value is to 1, the more even the light.

Glare rating (GR): Assesses how strongly floodlights cause glare at outdoor facilities, on a scale from 10 (no glare) to 90 (unbearable glare).

All terms in the glossary

Floodlighting requirement for the Hockey-Bundesliga

The 1. and 2. Bundesliga outdoors and indoors are organised by the Hockeyliga e.V. As a national competition, the Bundesliga falls into Class I under DIN EN 12193: at least 500 lx at a uniformity of 0.7.

According to the rules of play of the Hockeyliga e.V. (as of June 2023, § 23(4)), Bundesliga matches may only take place under artificial lighting by arrangement with the Bundesliga match committee. For TV broadcasts, requirements for vertical illuminance and freedom from flicker apply in addition.

For high requirements from about 500 lx there is the STL1500.

Floodlighting requirement for the Hockey-Regionalliga

Below the 2. Bundesliga for men, the Regionalligen Nord, West and Ost and the 1. Regionalliga Süd are played outdoors. The floodlighting guideline of the Deutscher Hockey-Bund (DHB) sets lighting class III for Regionalliga, Oberliga and Verbandsliga: at least 200 lx, a uniformity of 0.7 and glare below GR 55. For official TV broadcasts it is 300 lx and GR below 50.

Clubs and local authorities often plan for more. One example from Berlin: for the hockey pitch in the Volkspark Mariendorf, the Regionalliga club playing there specified at least 250 lx and TV suitability. The Bezirksamt Tempelhof-Schöneberg (district office) opted for a higher design, partly because a weaker system with the existing masts would not have achieved compliant uniformity (information from the Bezirksamt, 15 October 2025).

Floodlighting requirements for hockey training

For training, DIN EN 12193 provides for Class II or III. In Class III that means at least 200 lx, and here too the standard requires a uniformity of 0.7 for hockey.

This is the most important difference from football, where 75 lx at 0.5 is enough for training. Anyone wanting to carry a football training lighting design over to a hockey pitch will usually fall short of the requirements.

Hockey in school and recreational sport

For school and recreational sport, Class III applies: at least 200 lx with a uniformity of 0.7.

Indoor hockey

Indoors, DIN EN 12193 requires more light for hockey than outdoors: 300 lx for training and school sport (Class III), 500 lx for regional competitions (Class II) and 750 lx for a high competition level (Class I), each with a uniformity of 0.7.

Our Series 07 high-bay luminaires are ball-impact resistant.

Frequently asked questions

How many lux does the hockey Bundesliga need?

As a national competition, the Bundesliga falls into Class I of DIN EN 12193: at least 500 lx with a uniformity of 0.7. According to Hockeyliga e.V., floodlit matches are only permitted in agreement with the Bundesliga match committee.

How many lux does the hockey Regionalliga need?

The Deutscher Hockey-Bund sets lighting class III: at least 200 lx, uniformity 0.7, glare below GR 55, and 300 lx for official TV broadcasts. In a Berlin example, a Regionalliga club specified at least 250 lx and TV suitability.

Is football training lighting enough for hockey?

Usually not. For football training, DIN EN 12193 requires 75 lx at a uniformity of 0.5; for hockey it is at least 200 lx at 0.7.

How many lux does indoor hockey need?

Under DIN EN 12193, 300 lx for training, 500 lx for regional competitions and 750 lx for a high competition level, each with a uniformity of 0.7.

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