Billericay Town FC – LED Floodlighting Upgrade

Project Overview

SJB Floodlighting completed an LED floodlighting upgrade at Billericay Town Football Club's New Lodge ground in Essex, replacing the existing floodlights on the club's main pitch with a modern, high-performance LED system.

Founded in 1880, Billericay Town FC is one of Essex's oldest football clubs and has called New Lodge home since the early 1970s. The club has a proud non-League history, including three FA Vase victories, and New Lodge has been an important part of the club's identity for generations.

The ground also has a particularly interesting connection with floodlighting. In 1977, Billericay Town won the Philips Electrical Floodlight Competition, with the club's prize floodlights subsequently inaugurated during a friendly match against West Ham United.

Almost five decades later, SJB Floodlighting was brought in to modernise the lighting on the same historic ground, replacing the existing LED floodlights while retaining the existing columns and much of the electrical infrastructure.

Upgrading an Established Floodlighting Installation

The project was designed around making effective use of the club's existing infrastructure wherever possible.

The existing columns, cabling, switchgear infrastructure and controls were retained, avoiding the need for a completely new floodlighting installation. This provided a more cost-effective approach while allowing the club to significantly improve the performance of its main-pitch lighting.

The existing 24 LED floodlights were removed and replaced with 12 new Philips LED floodlights, providing a modern lighting solution while making use of the existing mast infrastructure.

New Philips LED Floodlights

The upgraded installation comprises:

• 4 × Philips BVP 518 A35-NB

• 4 × Philips BVP 528 A35-NB

• 4 × Philips BVP 528 A35-MB

The new floodlights were selected and positioned to provide the required distribution of light across the football pitch.

The lighting design was calculated to achieve a maintained average horizontal illumination of at least 250 lux, with a design uniformity of Emin/Emax ≥0.25, suitable for football use.

SJB Floodlighting

The project was delivered by SJB Floodlighting as a specialist electrical contractor experienced in sports and exterior lighting installations.

SJB is an NICEIC Approved Contractor for street and exterior lighting installations and electrical maintenance. The company also holds CHAS and SafeContractor acceptance.

SJB's installation teams are trained in the safe use of raise-and-lower equipment and are skilled electricians qualified in testing and inspection.

Project Summary

The Billericay Town FC project demonstrates how an established football ground can benefit from a modern LED floodlighting upgrade without the expense and disruption of replacing the entire supporting infrastructure.

The completed installation includes:

• 12 new Philips LED floodlights

• 4 × Philips BVP 518 A35-NB

• 4 × Philips BVP 528 A35-NB

• 4 × Philips BVP 528 A35-MB

• Existing floodlighting columns retained

• Existing cabling, switchgear and controls retained

• New LED drivers and operating equipment

• New flex connections to the floodlights

• Maintained average illumination of ≥250 lux

• Design uniformity of Emin/Emax ≥0.25

• BS 7671 electrical testing

• Full system commissioning

• Lux testing

The completed upgrade provides Billericay Town FC with a modern, efficient and reliable LED floodlighting system while retaining the existing infrastructure at one of Essex's historic football grounds.