Padel is currently Sweden’s trendiest form of exercise. It is so popular that courts are being built across the country. Perfect lighting is essential. Solar Light has been a go-to partner to install the right lighting solution.
Padel, a racquet sport, has gained in popularity in many parts of the world, particularly in Sweden. The number of players and padel courts has increased significantly thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, half a million players booked a padel court in Sweden and now there are around 2,000 padel courts in the country.
Solar has been involved in supplying the lighting to a number of padel centres in Sweden. The most recent is Gislövs IF following the association’s decision to turn the former gymnastics hall into an indoor training centre and padel court.
"Instead of the hall being empty during the year, we thought it would be the ideal place for a padel court. And this has proved to be a success. It is almost always fully booked and all the money we earn from it goes to our non-profit association,” says Anders Herrlin Carlsson from Gislövs IF.
Building a padel court may seem easy, but there are many factors to take into account – particularly the lighting. Lights must be spaced so that all players can see equally well and there is no risk of them being dazzled on court.
"In this respect, special and customised solutions are required because the lighting depends on whether the court is indoors or out and also whether the court is to be used for regular practice or competitions,” says Jerry Persson from Solar Light.
In the former gymnastics hall at Gislövs IF, the lighting has won high praise.
"Most of the comments we get are about the lighting. The players think that it is great. And it shows the importance of investing in quality,” says Anders Herrlin.
The installation was carried out by RSA Rosengren AB with the lighting calculations and fittings supplied by Solar Light.
"To achieve the best results, we recommended One 23 Flex from Solar Light. It is installed lengthwise and illuminates obliquely which works well on a padel court. Our lighting experts are always ready to help make the calculations and provide the right lighting solution,” says Jerry Persson.
This case is from our Annual Report 2021. Read it here.
The lighting on an indoor court requires a higher LUX*
If the court is to be used for competitions, the requirements are higher. For regional competitions, 500 lux is required while for national and international tournaments, the requirement is at least 750 lux.
*Lux is a standardised unit of measurement of light intensity level.