How LED grow lights transformed the pitch at Hampden Park

There are many events to visit at Hampden Park, which is directly the first challenge that we come across. They host up to 55 sporting events from September to June. In the summer, the grass is covered for four weeks due to the concert season. During this period, they host concerts from world-famous artists like the Foo Fighters and P!nk, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the stadium. It’s difficult to turn your pitch around and meet expectations every time with such a busy event schedule.

The second challenge is the influence of the Scottish weather on the pitch. Scotland is not really known for sunny days and high temperatures. On the contrary, they experience many rainy days, which puts a lot of pressure on the pitch. Hampden Park is located in Glasgow, which gets an average of 1,109 mm of rain per year. When the sun is finally shining, the shape of the stadium gets in the way. The oval shape of the stadium blocks a part of the pitch from getting natural sunlight. The southside of the pitch doesn’t get any shade at all from October 21 to February 14!

From an agronomic point of view, Hampden Park presents a rather rare challenge, something uncommon in most stadiums. The pitch is oriented east-west, while most stadiums are oriented north-south. This different orientation is not beneficial for the covering of the pitch with the lighting units. The south side of the pitch is shaded by the stadium, causing a shadow stripe from backline to backline on one side. Although lighting rigs cover these shaded areas, they must span the entire length of the pitch to do so. This situation is not ideal, as it makes it more difficult to position the lighting rigs correctly and ensure all shaded areas are adequately covered.

With the help of a detailed light transmission analysis, it was determined where – and to what extend – natural sunlight reaches the stadium pitch. Based on this analysis, calculations were made on how long extra lighting with grow lights is needed to achieve the desired, high-level grass quality that Hampden Park deserves.

The grounds team of Hampden Park now has a full range of LED grow lighting units to their availability to achieve a high-level grass quality. The groundsmen use four LED440s, two LED120s and three LED50s to turn the pitch around after events, battle the challenging Scottish weather, and cover the shaded parts on the south side of the stadium. Additionally, they verify their gut feelings, developed over years of experience, with data extracted from the TurfPods.

Hampden Park chose LED lighting because they want to achieve the highest pitch quality possible. With LED lighting, it’s possible to control light and heat independently by turning the infrared sensors on or off. This means that the groundsmen at Hampden Park can light up the pitch from the beginning of the season, even in the warmer months, creating strong grass roots right from the start. This early advantage gives the pitch a head start into the new season, and it continuous to benefit throughout the whole season because of the strong foundation that it gives the turfgrass.

The grounds team at Hampden Park has done a fantastic job revitalizing the pitch, resulting in an outstanding pitch quality of 90% throughout the season! As all groundskeepers know, no news is good news, and there haven’t been any negative comments about the pitch since its transformation. So, it’s a good thing the pitch at Hampden Park is not a topic in the newspapers anymore.

In the past, there were always many criticisms of the pitch. It needed multiple renovations a year to keep it in an acceptable condition. Now, there are no pitch renovations needed during the season. The LED grow lights help deliver a quality pitch from the start of the season and also make it easier to turn the pitch around after it has been damaged.

The grounds team has shown exceptional skill in operating their new equipment, which includes four LED440s, two LED120s, and three LED50s. Despite initially having limited experience with such lighting technology, they have managed the transition smoothly. With the expert guidance of our SGL Assist team through the Premium LED Support Plan, this collaboration has proven to be highly effective.

All in all, the pitch at Hampden Park has shown amazing results in terms of pitch quality. It’s better than it has ever been before. LED grow lights proved to be a great solution for the pitch, with the desired result. The pitch at Hampden Park is now one of the best in Scotland, suited for such a prestigious stadium.

Download the infosheet to learn more into detail about Hampden Park. From key pitch features and the light transmission analysis to every detail about the grounds team’s equipment. A unique insight in the work of the grounds team at Hampden Park. Highly recommended for groundsmen!