While Hampden Park won’t need floodlights this Saturday, better lighting for grassroots football remains essential across Scotland.
Scottish Cup Final - Saturday 24th May.
It’s the biggest match of the year. But whether you’re watching it or ignoring it, the truth is the same: football matters.
In Scotland, it matters perhaps more than we’d admit. Holidays get rescheduled, meetings skipped, and days vanish in pursuit of the beautiful game. But this passion is also what gives football its power—as a tool for community, connection, and wellbeing.
And it’s growing. According to 2023 figures:
- 161,412 participants were registered in Scottish football (a second consecutive record year)
- Over 60% of registered players were under 18
- Girls’ and women’s football hit a new high with 22,977 players, now 14.2% of all grassroots players
If football is for everyone, we need spaces where everyone can play. And that means safe, accessible, well-lit places—especially as daylight disappears.
When the Sun Goes Down: Why Floodlighting Matters
Scotland’s winter days are famously short. In Glasgow, for example, daylight can be in short supply, sunlight even sparser—most of which are taken up by school or work.
The chart above features the average daily sunlight hours in Glasgow.
Without floodlights, pitches sit empty after 4pm. That’s a barrier not just to football, but to community health. Lighting enables participation—especially for youth, working families, and evening leagues. It’s not an add-on. It’s the infrastructure that keeps grassroots football alive through the darker months.
Beyond the Pitch: Lighting, Safety and Inclusion
Lighting affects more than gameplay. It shapes how safe and welcome people feel.
Well-lit entrances, paths, and viewing areas reduce risks and build trust—especially for women and girls, who often train or play later in the evening. Campaigns like “Safer Together” in England highlight this clearly, with clubs and local authorities prioritising lighting in their efforts to make sport more inclusive.
And it’s not just about perception. Lighting also makes pitches more flexible. Longer usable hours mean more bookings, more revenue, and more impact—social and financial—for clubs and communities alike.
Greener Goals: Floodlighting and Sustainability
Floodlighting is often overlooked in sustainability planning. But it’s a major energy user—and a major opportunity.
In older venues, outdated systems can be power-hungry and they’re high-maintenance. Upgrading to LED floodlights, or using remanufactured luminaires, cuts energy use, lowers emissions, and saves money.
The shift to future-ready facilities is already happening. For example, Glasgow Life is investing £850,000 in sustainable pitch upgrades—including trials of biodegradable infill to replace black rubber crumb ahead of the EU’s 2031 ban.
Community floodlights are essential in making most of pitches
Lighting must be part of this shift. Especially when remanufactured lighting can:
- Cut energy bills
- Reduce embodied carbon by up to 50% compared to new products
- Extend asset life through upgradability and modular design
At EGG Lighting, we help clients make this transition. Our remanufactured products meet or exceed performance expectations and help unlock funding tied to environmental performance.
Funding the Future: Support Is Growing
The barriers to grassroots infrastructure are real—but so is the momentum.
The Scottish FA’s “Pitching In” campaign is targeting £50 million over five years. You also have notable local projects:
- £1.2 million has been confirmed for the Castlemilk Football Community Hub (April 2025)
- Pollok Park is receiving pitch and lighting upgrades via a UK Government grant (January 2025)
As City Charitable Trust noted in their application for work at Pollok Park:
“Floodlighting allows longer use of the facilities during shorter daylight hours.”
Exactly.
Case Study: Garioch Sports Centre
When Garioch Sports Centre needed to meet Scottish Highland Football League standards, EGG Lighting stepped in.
With funding from the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund, we delivered:
Custom LED floodlighting design
Quick-turnaround installation during active use
NICEIC-certified compliance
The result? A venue ready to host again—efficiently, sustainably, and affordably. And just as importantly, the project delivered annual energy savings of £8,000 and annual carbon savings of 27,600 kg.
This image above features before and after information from the Garioch Sports Centre project.
Keeping the Lights On - Lighting for Grassroots Football
“Keeping the lights on” shouldn’t mean scraping by. It should mean turning up, training hard, and dreaming big—even on a winter night in Glasgow.
Every switch flipped on a community pitch helps someone stay active, feel safe, and find their place in the game.
At EGG Lighting, we’re proud to power those moments—not just for visibility, but for opportunity, sustainability, and community.
Because in Scotland, football isn’t just the Cup Final. It’s every wet Tuesday. Every streetlight match. Every young player dreaming big.
Let’s keep that dream lit, and improved lighting for grassroots football is a way to achieve this.
If you’re managing a community pitch, a school facility, or a sports trust—and looking to upgrade your lighting—get in touch for a free site survey. We can help you cut costs, cut emissions, and keep your players on the pitch.
