Feature

Wimbledon’s Centre Court fitted with state-of-the-art lighting system

This year’s Wimbledon Championships got underway on Monday with a new state-of-the-art LED lighting system having been fitted on Centre Court, the tennis grand slam event’s premier venue.

The new system has been fitted by Musco Lighting, a US-based company that specialises in the design and manufacturing of sports and large area lighting solutions.

The new system is designed to enhance broadcasters’ television output, with a focus having been placed on Centre Court’s retractable roof.

Robert Deatker, estate director at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which organises Wimbledon, said: “The purpose of the project was to improve the quality of lighting for broadcasters, whilst simultaneously improving the functionality of the lighting as part of the roof operation.

“Specifically this involves reducing the amount of time required by the lights to warm up or cool down, thus making it quicker to resume play.”

Last year, Musco Lighting installed a similar system at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, home of fellow grand slam the US Open.

A mock-up of Centre Court was developed at Musco Lighting’s US base to test different temperatures and colour rendering indexes relating to the new system, with a UK-based television crew having been called upon to test the broadcast quality.

Further testing was then carried out before the system was installed in November last year.

Musco Lighting’s TLC for LED system will be used when Centre Court’s roof is closed. The system features patented light control technology and is said to eliminate glare from impacting players and spectators.

The company’s LED technology will be installed at Wimbledon’s No.1 Court in time for the 2019 event, by which point the venue is expected to have a retractable roof of its own.

“The expectations don’t get any higher than at Wimbledon,” said Jeff Rogers, president of Musco World. “We installed the previous lighting at Centre Court, and we knew the team there would put in the work and expected the highest level of performance, tailored to the venue’s exact needs.

“Our LED technology has been customised to meet those needs with the highest quality light without creating glare. We’re confident that when the lights go on at this year’s Championships it will create an amazing atmosphere for players and fans.”

Image: Spiralz