FC Lengnau

Thorn, a Zumtobel Group brand, is committed to handling every sports ground, every pitch and every stadium lighting project as unique cases. Generally speaking, lighting for sports grounds must meet certain requirements. These can have a wide range of local variations. In Switzerland, not only does the Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations require regular electrical installation checks, individual sports associations insist on inspections too. The Swiss Football Association (SFA), for example, demands that football pitches for league matches are officially approved every five years. Thorn is an expert in delivering lighting solutions that meet these requirements. One example is the lighting for FC Lengnau's football ground in the Canton of Bern. The club, which was founded in 1924, was promoted to the first division in the mid-1940s and even went on to play at national league level for a time. The club is currently performing well in a lower league and is aiming to move up. A visionary project to refurbish the club's floodlights has created top conditions for training and matches. The club sought a trustworthy, professional partner for the project and opted for a complete solution from Thorn.

The pitches are ablaze with new lights

On the one hand, the project involved modernising the lighting for the second division pitch by replacing the outdated HIT system with an efficient LED solution. On the other hand, the training pitch – which until then had no lighting at all – was fitted with floodlights. Altis, the flexible, high-performance LED floodlight from Thorn, was chosen for this challenge.

Thorn's complete solution included project management right from the start, as well as lighting planning that complied with standards and light dimensions in line with SFA requirements.

Altis not only offers optical flexibility and a modular basis for various combinations and configurations of optics, but also minimises the number of luminaires required as every single LED module can be tilted. Excellent lighting results were achieved on the main pitch and secondary pitch, with 12 spotlights on each providing a light output of 130,432 and 86,955 lumens. In addition, the 60° floodlight beam angle guarantees minimal glare to protect the area surrounding the training ground. "For us, it was important to have expert advice from A to Z to make sure we met the Football Association's requirements. That's exactly what we got from Thorn and we are very satisfied with the lighting solution they offered," says Fred Berger from FC Lengnau. Electrician Kurt Baumann from BKW ISP added, "Thanks to the new lighting solution, matches and training can now take place in the evening too. The lamps no longer need to be changed regularly thanks to the long-life LEDs, which is saving a lot on maintenance costs."

Spectacular installation

The spotlights' installation on the 16 m and 14 m poles was organised in collaboration with an assembly team from Sportlights. The spotlights were installed by a helicopter from Swiss Helicopter, as the order of the day was to work as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Altis floodlights were mounted to the poles on the ground and then erected with the helicopter's help. The entire installation was completed in just four days thanks to Thorn's coordination expertise.

A partnership that can be relied on

No sports ground is quite like any other. That's why it's important to guarantee excellent service on site. This is the only way to guarantee the desired outcome for customers and the Football Association and to enable a higher standard of play. Beat Hubeli, Sportlights: "The close collaboration between Thorn and Sportlights is the most important thing for me, and it works perfectly."

Diana Grote, Sales team, Swiss Outdoor Lighting division: "The biggest reward is the smiles and thanks at the end of the project. That means we've done everything right."

effeSPORT funding scheme – upgrade to LEDs

effeSPORT, the national funding scheme of the FVB (Swiss Lighting Industry Association), provides support for efficiently refurbishing lighting at sports grounds. It pays CHF 70 to 350 for every metal halide lamp replaced, incentivising owners and operators of sports facilities to upgrade their existing lighting in line with top efficiency criteria. A requirement for this is that the lighting system must be proven to have two dimming levels. Thorn's lighting solutions meet all of these criteria.

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