A home game, under the floodlights, a rousing atmosphere - what more could you ask for? SIGNAL IDUNA PARK shines bright - brighter than ever before! Thanks to the support of our partner Zumtobel, BVB's stadium can now be illuminated at 2000 lux - far surpassing the required illuminance level. "Our main problem is making sure it doesn't get too bright; at least we always have the option to apply the dimmer switch," says Dr. Christian Hockenjos, Organisational Director at Borussia Dortmund, with a knowing smile.

Borussia Dortmund invested around six million euros this summer in renovating SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. One of six measures was the construction of a new floodlight system. 240 LED lights with a maximum illuminance of 2,000 lux have replaced the old analogue lights under the stadium roof. The new floodlights, which, unlike the old ones, are in line with DFL media requirements, are horizontally divided into three sections above the yellow metal girders. "Our previous floodlights would not have complied with the new regulations, which call for 1,600 lux - we didn't have that. This meant we had to invest in an upgrade anyway, so we said to ourselves: 'We may as well do the right thing and switch to LED technology,' " says Hockenjos.

Advantages of the LED floodlights include a longer life cycle of over ten years as well as lower power consumption. "We're already meeting the requirements set by UEFA for EURO 2024," says Hockenjos. The regulations set by both UEFA and the DFL only cover illuminance levels in stadiums; the switch to a more expensive and sustainable LED technology system was ''entirely our own decision,'' adds Hockenjos.

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Around 40 kilometres worth of cables have been installed to run the new system. "You have to do a lot more than just add new lights; they also have to be fed from somewhere," says Hockenjos. The installation work was certainly not for those who have a fear of heights: in order to access the installation zone, the workers first had to go to the upper tier, move up into the eaves and then along a path running across the roof - a good 40 metres above the ground. The complexity of this process meant that the cost of cables and installation work accounted for about half of the total expenditure involved.

Hockenjos thought it important to stress that: "We invested in new floodlights, not in a light show." The idea of installing special event lighting is one which has been discussed, but the club ultimately came to a clear decision: "We want floodlights for football matches - not for a bombastic laser show at half three in the afternoon," says Hockenjos. However, the Organisational Director is also open to the possibility of introducing some elements of a light show should additional investment be made in future. This may be used on special occasions, such as Christmas carol singing or testimonial matches. "Until now, we've been renting a laser technology system for these events, which costs a lot of money. Our new LED system gives us the basic groundwork to have our own laser technology installed in the future.''

Nils Hotze