Lord’s to bask in glow of LED lighting

Image: Marylebone Cricket Club

Lord’s will become the first UK men’s Test Cricket Ground to make the switch to LED floodlights after partnering with Abacus Lighting.

Lord’s said LED floodlights are significantly more energy efficient than the existing floodlights and are fully recyclable.

Additionally, LED lighting is highly directional, meaning the amount of glare, and in turn light pollution, emitted by the floodlights will be reduced considerably.

The work to install Abacus Lighting’s Challenger Mako floodlight has been ongoing since December and will be completed in time for the Middlesex v Glamorgan Vitality County Championship fixture which begins on Friday 5 April, the first game of the 2024 season at Lord’s.

The 31,100-capacity Lord’s Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord’s, is a cricket venue in St John’s Wood, London (UK). Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the European Cricket Council (ECC).

Lord’s is widely referred to as the ‘Home of Cricket’ and is home to the world’s oldest sporting museum.

Abacus Lighting, a leading provider of innovative lighting solutions, has been at the forefront of lighting technology for decades. The transition from traditional metal halide lighting to LED is part of Abacus’s ongoing commitment to delivering cutting-edge lighting solutions to its clients while promoting environmental responsibility.

The Challenger Mako floodlight was chosen by Abacus due to its lightweight fitting, which makes it ideal for elite sporting arena retrofit solutions and provides the highest power output from the lowest possible weight.

MCC worked with Abacus to ensure that the new floodlights have a sustainable impact whilst meeting the lighting controls required by Westminster City Council (WCC) and the ECB.

Robert Ebdon, Estates Director at MCC, said: “Reducing energy consumption across the Lord’s estate is a key priority for the Club as we work towards our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030 and Net Zero by 2040, if not earlier.

“The new LED floodlighting system is one of the many areas that we’re upgrading to help make Lord’s more sustainable and energy efficient while also improving our visitors’ and local residents’ experience. We’re the first men’s UK Test ground to install LED floodlights that will reduce glare while enhancing visibility and clarity, giving spectators and players a brighter and more consistent lighting experience, providing optimal conditions for world-class cricket.”

Chris Anderson, Sales Director at Abacus Lighting, said: “It’s an honour for Abacus to further enhance our longstanding relationship with Marylebone Cricket Club and upgrade our original lighting installation.

“The Challenger Mako LED floodlight brings the latest lighting technology to Lord’s, offering the highest power output to lowest weight and optically has been specifically designed for Elite Cricket Stadia, which will improve lighting levels to the latest ECB lighting specifications whilst offering significant energy savings over the existing metal halide lighting system.

“The specification criteria at Lord’s were stringent, where it was required to improve the lighting levels to the field of play in line with the latest ECB standards, reduce energy consumption, and ensure the current Abacus Telescopic lighting masts operated within capacity whilst controlling the lighting to Westminster planning guidelines.

“All of this requires the market leading specialist products and services Abacus can offer, to deliver another world class lighting solution to the Home of Cricket.”

Lord’s sustainability strategy – ‘A Journey to Net Zero Carbon’ – sets out an ambitious program of measures and targets which will lead to the club becoming Net Zero by 2040, if not earlier, as it continues to be a leading voice and influence within cricket amid the response to the threats posed to the future of the sport by climate change.

The club aims to become Net Zero through a range of measures, including undertaking a significant program of degasification at Lord’s, and switching the use of remaining natural gas in the operation of the venue to renewable energy sources.

The Fan Footprint Calculator has been introduced which is a free online platform which will allow fans, visitors to Lord’s, the MCC Members and the MCC staff to understand and measure their current carbon footprint and reduce their own emissions, as well as make pledges to cut their emissions going forward.

The MCC has a longstanding commitment to sustainability. In 2009, it became the first UK sports venue to appoint a full-time Sustainability Manager, publishing its first sustainability policy shortly after. In October 2022, it signed up for the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, which aims to support and guide sports clubs and bodies in achieving global climate change goals.

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