Depending on where a club is based and what level it plays at the rules governing the quality of pitch lighting needed can vary greatly.
The Football Association (FA) has its own rules. As do the Scottish Football Association (SFA), and the Football Association of Wales (FAW). And all clubs in each of these associations playing at a premier level are governed by the Union of European Associations (UEFA) regulations.
This simple guide covers the regulations for each association. Each one has its own classification system. So, we’ve put a note below each chart to let you know how they are ordered.
Terms you need to knowThe two metrics used to grade lighting used here are lux and uniformity. Here’s what they mean in layman’s terms:
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The FA Regulations
In this chart Grade G is the lowest level and Grade A the highest. League and Premier League clubs are covered by UEFA Regulations.
This Chart is from Page 5 of the FA Guide to Floodlighting Regs: see the full guide here.
The Scottish FA Regulations
This Chart is from page 29 of the Scottish FA Club licensing manual.
Clubs are required to have a floodlighting system at the grounds. To meet the Platinum standard (not shown in the above chart) the club must be able to provide a backup power supply that will provide two-thirds of normal power.
In the case of a Platinum, the floodlighting lux level is required to be: Average – 1200 lux and 0.45 uniformity
In this chart, Bronze is the lowest level and Platinum is the highest. Scottish Premier League clubs are covered by UEFA Regulations.
FAW Regulations
| Category | Lux | Uniformity |
| Tier 1 | 500 lux | N/A |
| Tier 2 | 250 lux | N/A |
| Tier 3 | 250 lux | N/A |
In this chart Tier 3 is the lowest level and Tier 5 the highest. Cymru Premier League clubs are covered by UEFA Regulations.
UEFA Regulations
This Chart is from Page 12 of the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations Guide: see the full guide here.
In this chart Grade 1 is the lowest level and Grade 4 the highest.
A comparison
This chart compares the lux and uniformity levels of each regulatory body.
| Regulatory body | Their classification grouping | Lux level | Uniformity |
| FA | Grade A (Step 1) Conference | 250 | 0.25 |
| Grade B (Step 2) Conference | 180 | 0.25 | |
| Grade C (Step 3) Conference | 120 (180) | 0.25 | |
| Grade D (Step 4) Conference | 120 (180) | 0.25 | |
| Grade E (Step 4-5) Conference | 120 (180) | 0.25 | |
| Grade F (Step 5) Conference | 120 (180) | 0.25 | |
| Grade G (Step 3) Conference | 120 (180) | 0.25 |
| Regulatory body | Their classification grouping | Lux level | Uniformity |
| SFA | Platinum | 250 | 0.25 |
| Gold | 180 | 0.25 | |
| Silver | 120 (180) | 0.25 | |
| Bronze | 120 (180) | 0.25 | |
| Entry | 120 (180) | 0.25 | |
| WFA | Tier 1 | 500 | N/A |
| Tier 2 | 250 | N/A | |
| Tier 3 | 250 | N/A | |
| UEFA | Category 4 | 1,400 | 0.5 |
| Category 3 | 1,200 | 0.4 | |
| Category 2 | 800 | 0.4 | |
| Category 1 | N/A | N/a |
Where the lux levels are given as ‘120 (180)’, the 120 figures show the minimum for any existing lighting systems. 180 figures show the lux levels that will need to be achieved if there is a lighting upgrade at any point.
Category 1 clubs' lux levels don’t apply. However, they should be high enough for matches to be broadcast.
For more information on football lighting, see our football floodlights page
Other Football Lighting content you may like:
Football Floodlights: How much do they really cost?
Finding Football Floodlighting Funding
Midstream Lighting: preferred supplier to the PLSF
Other Useful Links
UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations