Regulations for sports facilities

In Spain, the lighting of sports facilities is mainly regulated by two complementary regulations:

NIDE (Regulations for Sports and Recreation Facilities)

Developed by the Higher Sports Council (CSD), the NIDE regulations establish the technical criteria for the design, construction, and adaptation of sports facilities. These regulations cover key aspects such as:

Dimensions of the playing field
Layout and orientation
Flooring and finishes
Accessibility
Appropriate technical lighting for each type of use

Types of NIDE Standards:

Regulatory Standards (R): establish the minimum mandatory requirements, such as illuminance values or projector locations.
Project Standards (P): delve into technical aspects such as accessibility, ergonomics, and materials.

UNE‑EN 12193:2020 – Lighting of Sports Facilities

This European standard complements the NIDE by defining the specific technical parameters for lighting, based on the sport and the level of practice:

Horizontal and vertical illuminance (lx)
Uniformity (Uo)
Glare Index (RG)
Color Rendering Index (CRI)

The UNE‑EN 12193 standard applies to both indoor and outdoor installations and establishes differentiated levels for:

Class I: professional competition
Class II: training
Class III: recreational or school use

How are these regulations applied?

Each sport has specific requirements defined by these regulations. To learn how to correctly apply these criteria according to the type of court, visit our specific articles:

Higher Sports Council. (2024). N.I.D.E. Standards – Regulations for Sports and Recreation Facilities. Government of Spain. Retrieved from: https://www.csd.gob.es/es/csd/instalaciones/politicas-publicas-de-ordenacion/normativa-tecnica-de-instalaciones-deportivas/normas-nideSpanish Association for Standardization. (2020). UNE‑EN 12193: Lighting of sports facilities. AENOR. (https://www.en.une.org/encuentra-tu-norma/busca-tu-norma/norma/?c=N0062481