How to Light a Baseball Field
Baseball is touted as being one of the first sports to be played "under the lights." This claim will probably not stand up now that records of night-time gladiatorial contests have been discovered, but night baseball is still a tradition with an unusually long history. A bit more work is required than just hanging a few lights off some poles.
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Instructions
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Set criteria for the lighting of your field. This should include whether or not any events will be televised from the field, when, and how often it will be used.
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Decide what you want to do yourself for the project. Decide if you want to design your lighting pattern, do all the installation, buy just the equipment, have a company do design but do the installation yourself, or invest in a turnkey installation.
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Establish your budget.
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Check with various lighting supply firms to obtain a general idea where each type of installation fits with your budget,
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Put the project out to bid if you decide on a turnkey installation. Get three bids if possible.
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Do comparison shopping for the best price on equipment, then use the company that's going to supply equipment to do the design--if this is to be your plan. Using one company for design and another for equipment is a bad idea.
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Take all the above factors into consideration in addition to full field coverage if you are handling the entire project. Bid out the electrical and pole installation since these are the most technical parts of the project and require specific kinds of equipment. You may then do light installation and adjustment.
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Tips & Warnings
Personal reference is always the best source of information--not only with regard to the necessary lumens needed for a field (amount of lighting) but also which companies are the most reliable. Local high school athletic directors and park superintendents are a good place to look for referral sources.
When all is said and done, the savings gained from complete installation is hardly worth the hassle UNLESS you have access to a certified electrician and someone with the equipment to install 50 or 60 foot light towers.
