• Operators and trainers of recreational sports facilities tap a button to select the optimal lighting for the sport being played 

• Municipalities gain insights into energy consumption of their recreational sports facilities

• Dutch football club Sparta’25 installs Philips PerfectPlay to streamline its operations 

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting, has today announced the first integrated, connected LED lighting system designed for recreational sports fields. The Philips PerfectPlay system enables recreational sports centers to reduce energy costs, simplify operations and maximize revenue potential, while providing better quality lighting for sportsmen and women. 

Philips PerfectPlay uses energy-efficient LED sports field lighting that can be controlled by the simple tap of a control panel, tablet or smartphone anywhere in the sports facility or remotely. This will deliver the best lighting regime for the particular sport being played, whether for example it is football, tennis, rugby, gym, skiing or golf. The system provides flexibility to change light scenes on the fly and select settings for a match or training. Similarly, it can light only part of a pitch, helping recreational sports facilities to maximize earning potential and significantly reduce operational costs. Philips PerfectPlay is ideal for outdoor and indoor use. Also, it operates with existing or new installations.

Philips PerfectPlay features three different light settings for municipality facility managers and sports club managers to manage their operations remotely or on-site. The three settings are: ‘match’ with 100 percent lighting needed for official matches; ‘training’ with up to 50 percent dimming; and ‘comfort’ with 10 percent level lighting to create ambiance for après-sport socializing and safety. 

There is secure, personalized authorization for facility managers and trainers to control lighting for all indoor and outdoor facilities. In addition, as all lighting can be switched off remotely via smartphone after training, recreational sports fields can eliminate the need for an employee to be on-site during all opening hours. In addition, the system has the ability to build reports on lighting and energy usage, giving data and intelligence with which to reduce energy costs and make more informed operational decisions. 

Sparta’25

Football club Sparta’25 in Beek en Donk in the south of the Netherlands has installed Philips PerfectPlay to transform the club’s operations and sports offerings. “We have installed 1.5 training fields with 18 Philips OptiVision LED gen2 floodlights. Thanks to the system we can easily and flexibly control the LED lighting on each sports field. Also, with the Philips PerfectPlay panel installed in the dressing rooms, you can change to another light setting in a split second,” said Brechje Biemans, club manager. Above all, Philips PerfectPlay will allow us to be more customer-led in the services we offer to our 1,000+ members,’’ she added.

“There are more than two million recreational sports fields globally, and yet less than one per cent of them benefit from LED lighting cost savings and easy controllability,” said Ronnie Koster, Global Head of Arena & Sports Lighting at Philips Lighting. “Philips Lighting is leading a digital revolution in recreational sports with Philips PerfectPlay, giving club managers a unique opportunity to reduce pitch lighting energy bills by 70-80 percent compared to conventional lighting while providing high quality light. The quality of light is important and can be the difference between a good and bad match experience. In addition, our luminaires and light settings are designed to reduce light pollution in residential areas while widening access to sport in the local community.” 

John Cuppen, operations manager at Heijmans Wegen BV Techniek & Mobiliteit, the installer for the implementation of Philips PerfectPlay at Dutch football club, Sparta’25 added, “With pressure on municipality funding for recreational sports facilities, Philips PerfectPlay demonstrates genuine innovation in how sports facilities can now use lighting to streamline operations – not to mention the ability to drastically reduce energy costs. Besides that, the system gives us perfect opportunities to support Sparta’25 with fast, proactive maintenance. It enables us to remotely monitor the performance and energy consumption of the LED lighting and consult Sparta’25 on how to use the LED lighting in the most effective way.”

Notes to editors

Available now globally, Philips PerfectPlay is a cloud-based system with cabinet connectivity. It comprises different user control devices: a push button panel located in a cabinet, on a pole or operated from the clubhouse; or smart control application on a user’s smartphone, tablet or PC. Further functionality will be added to Philips PerfectPlay including a remote management module to enable the monitoring of multiple sports facilities. This will provide data insights such as energy consumption and lighting usage analysis that will be compiled and displayed in the dashboard. In addition, via scheduling, customers will be able to plan and forecast energy usage.

Philips PerfectPlay system works seamlessly with a range of Philips LED floodlights including: 

• Philips OptiVision LED gen2 with advance system controls and sensors to enable additional energy savings in area lighting applications
• Philips ClearFlood Large and Philips ClearFlood to retrofit lighting for existing large and small sports and recreational facilities
• Philips GentleSpace gen2 high-bay lighting suitable for indoor sports facilities, such as swimming pools or sports halls 
• Philips SportsStar LED for recreational and professional sports lighting

Philips PerfectPlay meets international and national sports federation lighting standards.