Fast, precise, tactical - Dornbirn Tennis Club gets a new floodlight system

Good tennis court lighting increases the appeal of a sports facility and its daily usage times. Special floodlights additionally help to meet the specific requirements of the sport. During the Covid-19 pandemic, tennis courts have gained in popularity. The Dornbirn Tennis Club experienced an increase of over 100 members in 2020 and is now one of the largest tennis clubs in Western Austria with a total of 530 members.

THE MEMBERS IN FOCUS

In order to cope with the growing number of members and to ensure longer playing and training times in autumn and winter, the Dornbirn Tennis Club decided to install a floodlight system on the outdoor courts. For the realisation of the project the club opted for a solution by Thorn, a brand of the Zumtobel Group, that specialises in sports lighting.

PRECISION WORK IN LIGHTING AND SPORT

Playing tennis is precision work. Fast rallies, where often only millimetres at the out-of-bounds line decide between a mistake and a point win, demand the highest concentration from the players. A lack of light tires the eyes - whether indoors or outdoors, at dusk or in the evening. If the ball approaches from above, it must not suddenly emerge from the darkness, nor must there be any glare. In addition, a floodlight should illuminate the intended area precisely. It is important that spill light reaching neighbouring buildings is kept to a minimum and that players and spectators are not dazzled.

With 12 powerful and flexible Altis LED floodlights from Thorn, all requirements were precisely achieved. Altis can be equipped with different light distributions, including asymmetrical for area and symmetrical for sports events. The tiltable LED modules make it possible to optimise the lighting design with a minimum number of floodlights. Through the use of LITECOM lighting management system, illuminance levels can be automatically controlled, taking into account daylight levels. Plurio post-top luminaires including Thorn’s NightTune have been installed in the tennis court walkways. NightTune technology automatically adjusts the light level and colour temperature to the appropriate night time.

Nicholas Zumtobel, Manager Corporate Culture at Zumtobel Group comments: "Floodlights for sports facilities in a city must meet many requirements. For example, light pollution must be kept as low as possible. Local residents do not want to be disturbed by the lighting, at the same time the best conditions should be created for the players. The new floodlight system from Thorn meets all these requirements."

Linus Erhart, Bundesliga player at Tennis Club Dornbirn: "In the past our matches often had to be cancelled because they took longer, until nightfall or because of rain. Thanks to the new outdoor lighting from Thorn, we can safely end our matches on the same day and we can therefore concentrate completely on the match."

TEAMWORK ENABLES THE BEST RESULTS

The cooperation between the customer and Thorn ran smoothly from the start and thus supported the quick result of a perfect lighting solution in the best possible way. Not only were the courts lit much faster than expected, but the tennis players were also really excited about the new lighting solution. Whether professionals or hobby players, everyone is happy with the final result. Functionally as well as emotionally, the new lighting solution has added value to the club and enables the coaches to give training until late into the evening and also to complete tournaments without time pressure.

Stefan Bildstein, Treasurer and Sports Manager Tennis Club Dornbirn, is very positive about the result: "The cooperation with Thorn was excellent right from the start. The documents provided made it easy for us to obtain the permits from the municipality and authorities. We wanted a complete solution and both the floodlight and the walkway lighting provide an ideal solution. Now we have the best light on and off the pitch. We would choose to work with Thorn again any time."