Torquay United FC Launches £40m Stadium Plan
Torqua United FC will set out its vision for the development of a new stadium and academy at the Mayor’s Forum on 26 July 2018.
The proposed £40m+ project is designed to launch Torquay United to sustainable success on the pitch, bringing major benefits to the local economy and community, and strengthen the visitor attraction to the area.
The proposed state of the art expandable 10,000 seat community stadium and 30,000 capacity event arena will include, integrated Exhibition and Music Event space, a hotel, integrated hospitality, food/beverage and leisure facilities, indoor leisure attractions, an enabling housing development and substantial car parking and transport links. The project when complete will provide over 350 full time jobs.
A separate proposed stand-alone Football Academy and sports Centre of Excellence will provide facilities for both community football and the Clubs youth development programme together with facilities to attract and accommodate foreign students of football.
Clarke Osborne Chairman of Torquay United FC stated: "This is a great opportunity for us to join the increasing number of businesses who are planning major investment into Torbay to showcase our project which will bring major inward investment, long term sport and leisure facilities and equip the Club to climb back into the football league and stay there."
KV2 Boosts Swedish World Cup Fever
Fremlab AB, KV2 Audio's long-term partner in Sweden, played an important part in the recent madness kick-started by Sweden’s progress to the FIFA World Cup play-offs.
This all began with the ever popular event, SM Week, which takes place every year in Summer and Winter at different locations in the country. The traditional event aims to increate interest in Swedish sport. In 2018, the location of SM Week was in Helsingborg and Landskrona taking place from July 2nd to July 8th.
On 3 July 2018, the organisers decided to show Sweden’s World Cup match against Switzerland on 15m2 LED screens for an expected audience of 1,000 fans. Gröningen park was suddenly flooded with more than 10,000 people and the original plan to have just two Nexo 12” speakers as Front of House needed quickly re-thinking for the next game against England on the 7th of July where one VHD2.0 mid/hi per side were added to the original set-up with a pair of VHD4.18 18” subwoofers for added low frequency reinforcement.
After beating the Swiss serious decisions needed to be made for the following match against England as the plan was to use appropriate coverage. Given the results from the first match Fremlab SE was again hired in by Tylösound to provide a VHD System with 4 x VHD4.18 subwoofers as the main Front of House system covering a crowd of 15,000 people.
Having suffered defeat to England attentions turned to a Homecoming ceremony for the return of the squad, which included the defender Andreas Granqvist returning to Helsingborg IF Football Club. The ceremony took place on July 11th where the VHD System (with two delay points at 40m and 80m comprising of original RCF Event6000 cabinets designed by KV2 Audio’s Head of R&D George Krampera) was again deployed for speeches by the city mayor and Helsingborg FC Club Chairman once again in front of 10,000 people.
Ricoh Arena Boasts Large LED Screen
Installation of one of the largest LED screens in UK sport is underway at the Ricoh Arena as Coventry-based rugby club, Wasps, embark on a significant investment in new technology ahead of next season.
At 188 square metres, the new screen, planned for the South Stand, will be installed by leading stadium technology provider, ADI. The screen will be larger than those at leading stadia such as Twickenham and Hampden Park and, with a 10mm pixel pitch, it will also be one of the highest resolution stadium screens anywhere in the country.
The new screen will greatly enhance the match day experience at the Ricoh Arena. Its super-wide format offers huge flexibility to display lots of different content simultaneously.
Crystal clear replays can be delivered alongside match information to help new fans understand the rules of the game, together with social media feeds and other interactive fan content.
Stuart Cain, Commercial Director for Wasps and the Ricoh Arena, said: “We’ve responded to fans requesting better quality screens by installing one of the largest state-of-the-art pieces of technology in UK sport.
“This will massively improve people’s experience when watching Wasps. We’ve also invested in the main atrium which will improve the experience for the 700,000 people visiting conferences and exhibitions at the Ricoh Arena every year.”
Geraint Williams, CEO of ADI, whose company will deliver the LED technology, said: “Wasps are really pushing the boundaries to create something special for their fans. We’re delighted to be a part of that."
This investment in new digital technology follows the installation of high density Wi-Fi at the Ricoh Arena, allowing up to 20,000 people to log on at the same time, another major first for UK sport.
Stuart added: “When you add up the new screens, app, high-density Wi-Fi, contactless technology, new ticketing and retail websites then it makes Wasps and the Ricoh Arena one of the most digitally connected venues in the UK if not Europe."
Planning and installation of the new screen is currently underway and subject to any issues with fabrication of the framework, the plan is to have the screens operational for the start of the season, but it may be the Leicester Tigers fixture on 16 September when everything is fully operational.
Modulo Kinetic Controls Commonwealth Games Ceremonies
For the opening and closing ceremonies of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, The Electric Canvas, an award-winning Australian company specialised in large-scale projections, managed the AV projection relying on Modulo Pi’s high-end media server: Modulo Kinetic.
The 21st Commonwealth Games took place in April 2018 at the Carrara stadium in Queensland, Australia. Produced by Jack Morton Worldwide, the opening and closing ceremonies were spectacular shows with 4.000 volunteer performers. Combining theatre, dance, and music, the shows were created to reflect the Gold Coast culture, embodying its spirit and its energy.
After winning the tender, The Electric Canvas prepared the event over 6 months. To achieve such a large-scale video projection in the stadium, they chose 20 Christie Lites Boxer projectors, as well as Modulo Kinetic, a powerful media server with advanced features from Modulo Pi.
Peter Milne, Director of The Electric Canvas, explained: “I’ve been involved with Yannick Kohn - founder of Modulo Pi - and his technology for nearly 20 years now. When he launched Modulo Pi in 2010, we were very keen on adopting his latest system, Modulo Player”.
Recognised internationally as a leader in large-scale and architectural projections, The Electric Canvas has relied on Modulo Player for several years now: “We use Modulo Player on many projects because we really like the X-map among other features.”
When entering the bid for the Gold Coast 2018, Peter chose Modulo Kinetic, Modulo Pi’s new media server solution: “We were very excited when Modulo Kinetic was launched, and now we have quite a lot of Modulo Kinetic servers. In fact, when we proposed Modulo Kinetic to the Commonwealth Games, we only had a few months experience with it. That was possible because we trust Modulo Pi when it comes to this type of software development. We were sure that their technology would be reliable and solid because of our previous experiences with Modulo Player.”
Working closely with the content producer, The Electric Canvas designed the projection overlay which determined how to cover the field of play, and how to project the other elements efficiently, while providing maximum creativity.
The main video projection was a visualization of Earth and its history, projected on the stadium playfield. This came with several challenges: “We had to put the 20 video-projectors at a height of 67 meters above the ground in the sports lighting towers. We did this because the stage was covered with sand, so there would have been a lot of unwanted texture, had we projected from a normal setting position. Especially as the sand was being constantly disturbed by the performers. Putting projectors so high was a difficult thing to do, particularly for technicians, who had to climb more than 200 steps every day to get to the top of the towers. But it was all worth it in the end, as the resulting image quality was very good” commented Peter.
To handle all necessary changes, the flexibility in the video-projection programming brought by Modulo Kinetic was a must for both ceremonies of this major event: “Ceremony production is a very unique process. There are changes in the choreography or content every day, so you have to have a very flexible system to be able to cope with those changes and incorporate them, sometimes even within the same rehearsal.
“In a time-critical context, The Electric Canvas’ operators made the best of Modulo Kinetic’s capability to preview the show in 3D: “During the day, when we don’t have the benefit of darkness, we can run the show from the recording of the previous evening, using video of the rehearsal, to then further fine-tune the programming of the projection.”
The show also included 3D mapping on Migaloo, a 30 meters long inflatable white whale, handled by 12 puppeteers. The whale floated into the arena, with content projected onto it after it reached its final position. The projection on the whale then transferred to the field of play at the end of the sequence.
The show video was synchronized to timecode, which was delivered with the music, but sometimes had to run independently from the timecode, as Peter explained: “In the case of having to hold entries and exits by the cast, or other unplanned factors, you need programming strategies, creating loops in the content so you don’t have any unexpected result in the picture when the timecode stops, or when something unexpected happens in the show.
There are a lot of media servers who don’t cope with this very well. Having a strategy whereby you can, at some point in the music, ignore the timecode, allowing the music to stop and to loop, waiting for something else to happen when there’s a mechanical breakdown on the field, or when somebody falls over, is crucial. These contingent loops are a major and important part of these live shows, so having a system like Modulo Kinetic that deals with those contingencies, in a very fluid and flexible way, is essential.”
Operators could also rely on the backup capabilities of Modulo Kinetic: “On a show this size, you have many departments involved, with everybody running from the timecode. One other important feature of Modulo Kinetic is the automatic reversion to back-up systems, should we have a computer problem or failure. That is also something Modulo Kinetic is good at.”
Peter concluded: “It was reliable, flexible, and easy-to- use in a situation that can sometimes change dramatically every day. The Modulo Pi media servers are very specifically built for technicians and for the creatives that do the type of work that we do. Because the Modulo Pi team listens to technicians and creatives that work on projects, they modify and improve their software specifically on that feedback. For us, that’s an enormous advantage compared to other much larger companies.”
NGU Sports Lighting Partners Eaton
NGU Sports Lighting, an independently owned market development and support business with an expertise in solid-state sports lighting, announces a partnership with power management company Eaton to support the growing need for innovative LED sports lighting solutions.
NGU will represent Eaton's Ephesus Sports Lighting products nationally for the professional and semi-professional market, as well as serving as a resource for the entire market in key regions of the country and national accounts.
"The LED sports lighting industry has exploded now that solid-state lighting solutions are a reality for venues of all sizes, from professional stadiums and arenas to recreational fields," said Mike Lorenz, CEO of NGU Sports Lighting.
"With such a large and untapped market available, we are working in an ideal environment for a specialized sports lighting business that's nimble enough to adjust to the changing marketplace and has enough expertise to lead the change."
Mike was a key leader of Ephesus Sports Lighting, and served as the company's president during an era when it spearheaded the LED lighting revolution. He has assembled a team of seasoned sports lighting professionals to be part of NGU, with a focus on bringing Ephesus Sports Lighting innovations to the market to support the continued growth of the business.
"The addition of NGU Sports Lighting to our already strong network of agents and resellers reinforces Eaton's commitment to the solid-state sports lighting industry by leveraging the expertise of both companies. Mike is a recognized pioneer in the LED sports lighting market and established Ephesus as the leader in this market. We look forward to working with Mike as he continues to be a leader in the industry," said Lee Davis, General Manager, Ephesus, Eaton's Lighting Division.
He continued: "The demand for innovative lighting solutions for indoor and outdoor sports venues of all sizes is growing, and together with NGU we will help develop and address the current and future needs of the market."
Outline Scores Italian Stadium Upgrade
The 17,368 capacity Pino Zaccheria stadium, the home field of Foggia soccer team located in Italy’s south-eastern Apulia region (nicknamed the Red and Black Devils of the South), recently underwent an in-depth upgrade in order to meet the latest specifications for the country’s Serie B (the equivalent of the second division). The work included a new sound reinforcement system, supplied by Centro Cultura Musicale.
Designed using Outline Open Array 3D software by the company’s senior system engineer Francesco Ferretti, the system is used to play recorded music before matches, announcements, publicity, team line-ups, announcements for the substitution of players, safety announcements, etc.
The upper tier of the roofed west stand is covered by six Outline Vegas 12 CX two-way, full-range coax speaker enclosures installed under the roof. The same format is used with four more Vegas 12 CX for the lower tier, installed under the upper tier of the stand.
The lower tier of each of the north and south curves is covered by four Vegas 12 CX installed under the upper tier, and the lower tier of the open air east stand seating features six Vegas 12 CX mounted below the upper tier.
The upper tier of the seating on the each of the curves’ and the open air stand are covered by four Stadia 100-30 long-throw DPRWG loudspeaker systems. Each curve has a Stadia mounted on one of the ground’s lighting pylons and the stand has two mounted over the centre of the main stand’s roof.
The Outline powerhouse for the entire set-up comprises four T Five-DSP 2-channel PWM power amplifiers and four M5000-4 4-channel PWM amps and the complete system is controlled by four of Outline’s iP24 multi-function DSP processors.
Outline loudspeakers were also installed outside the pitch, in the turnstile zone, in the form of six Eidos 15 two-way full-range enclosures, powered by an Outline M5000-4 four-channel PWM power amplifier.
The system was designed and tested by senior system engineer and technical support specialist Francesco Ferretti and Outline R&D Engineer and Tech Support staffer Giulio Gandini.
As well as the new PA system, the ground’s upgrade also included a new lighting system for night matches, electricity generators and contemporary seating. Beyond meeting the new safety regulations, new booths and facilities were added for broadcast coverage, as well as upgrades being made to the offices, dressing rooms and turnstiles.
Augusto Rinaldi of Centro Cultura Musicale stated: “The sound reinforcement system is particularly effective thanks to its clear sound as well as ensuring that there is no sound spill into the surrounding zones. The set-up’s user-friendliness is definitely the icing on the cake and the public has appreciated and acknowledged the results, which exceeded all of our expectations.”
Danley Schools Springfield High
A new 2,100-seat stadium located on Springfield High School's campus went from non-existent to a state-of-the-art stadium with "college stadium sound", supplied by just two Danley Sound Labs GH-60 Genesis Horns and a Danley TH-115 subwoofer.
System Integrations, a Tennessee-based integration firm with broad expertise in IT and related technologies, has a history of successful projects with Robertson County Schools, the district to which Springfield High School belongs.
"Springfield High School really wanted to showcase its new football stadium. It had been such a long time coming – and with the help of James Marshall, Robertson County Schools’ supervisor of technology, the stadium finally was completed,” explained Jeff Ledford, president of System Integrations.
"Danley has been our go-to loudspeaker manufacturer for a while now. Danley boxes have excellent pattern control, fidelity, and reliability. They're very flat, and straight out of the box we get good, crisp, clear sound that doesn't require very much in the way of DSP. Moreover, Danley boxes are pretty forgiving, which is great because none of the school staff who will be using the system are audio experts. Danley gives them a pro sound without requiring a pro on the staff."
The system that Ledford designed and that his company installed is wondrously simple. For full-frequency coverage, two Danley GH-60 Genesis Horns fire from either side of the large scoreboard in the end zone, one covering the home side and the other covering the visitors' side.
"We've tried a lot of different loudspeaker manufacturers and models over the years, and the Danley GH-60 Genesis Horn gives us the most consistent, even coverage," Ledford said.
The Danley GH-60 Genesis Horn combines several of acoustician Tom Danley's patented technologies to deliver phase-coherent audio in such a way that fans not only get high-fidelity coverage, they also get even SPL coverage, thus delivering, via Danley's point-source technology, on the promise of line arrays without the nasty comb filtering and other side-effects that are inherent to line array technology.
In addition, a single Danley TH-115 subwoofer fills out the low end with honest, undistorted bass. Crown XTi-Series amplifiers power the system, and an Allen & Heath digital console provides the front-end interface along with modest output signal conditioning. "The system sounds great and everyone at Springfield High School is pleased with the results," Ledford said. "This is not a typical high school sounding football field system. It sounds like something you would hear in a college stadium.”
L-Acoustics & Norwest Forms Winning Team at Gold Coast Games
Norwest Productions, deploys L-Acoustics system for sporting ceremonies and venues, achieving even SPL and high intelligibility at Gold Coast’s biggest ever sporting event this decade.
In one of the most exciting sporting events of 2018, and Australia’s biggest for a decade, over 6,600 athletes and team officials from more than 71 nations and territories descended on Australia’s Gold Coast to compete in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in April.
As crowds cheered thrilling finishes and record-breaking performances, highly intelligible commentary and full-range audio proved to be essential components of the sound reinforcement system for this landmark event. To achieve this epic outcome, audio production specialist and Official Sponsor, Norwest Productions, deployed over 500 L‑Acoustics cabinets, including 124 K2, in 22 sporting venues.
“With the Games being held in our backyard, we’d always set our sights on being involved,” said Norwest’s Gra Whitehouse. “But the Ceremonies audio project was an open tender, with all the usual pre-qualifying requirements, specifically around workplace safety processes and, of course, competency for the actual delivery of an audio project of that scale and nature. We knew we would need a watertight plan and some strategic investment.”
With their eyes set firmly on the prize, at the end of last year Norwest Productions decided to add 370 L-Acoustics cabinets to its inventory, including a substantial K2 system, as well as K1-SB, KS28, Kiva II, SB15, ARCS WiFo, LARAK II and LA4X amplified controllers. The team knew this would help it build a compelling proposal for the project and give them a better than fighting chance of winning.
“Our investment took our national inventory to around 900 of France’s finest and the results were superb,” said Whitehouse. “Combining this new stock with our existing inventory of dV-DOSC, Kudo, and 12XT, we were able to put together a proposal that delivered almost all games systems as a single-brand solution, with the exception of some application-specific paging systems.”
Norwest Production’s foresight, along with their design and engineering knowledge and a lot of hard work paid off, with the company winning the hotly contested contract to supply the audio for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the sporting venues.
Employed by the event’s producers, Jack Morton Worldwide, Norwest then established itself as an event sponsor directly to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC), carrying the prestigious mantle of ‘Official Audio Supplier to the GC2018 Ceremonies’. The sporting venues audio overlay was a separate contract, with Norwest sub-contracted by Sports Technology, headed up by Damian Rowe and his experienced project management team.
The remit for the entire contract was about achieving excellence for the spectator. Each audience member had to receive as near as possible the same SPL and high degree of intelligibility, with the additional requirement of catering to the full range of the Sports Presentation creative: high-impact play-on and play-off stings, background music, and audience warm-up commentary.
The Ceremonies system was designed by Norwest’s in-house team of Ian Shapcott (Head of Audio) and Andrew Marsh (Head of Special Events) and comprised mainly ground-based arrays of K2 atop K1SB, flanked by KS28 subwoofers. The sporting venue systems were originally specified by Damian Rowe, who worked with Shapcott on the adjustments needed to suit Norwest’s inventory, while remaining within the all-important brief, and made use of approximately 200 smaller format cabinets. Both teams modelled their systems with L-Acoustics 3D acoustical simulation programme, Soundvision, to ensure optimal coverage would be achieved.
However, partway through the design process, considerable changes were made to the main athletics stadium which was also to be used for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The rigging infrastructure needed to fly arrays over the enormous temporary Northern Grandstand was removed.
“Anyone who’s been involved in an event like this knows that venues might change, rigging systems might adapt and evolve, as my budget,” said Whitehouse. “It always presents a challenge, but there is always a solution. In this case, we decided to change our design to address the situation.”
Taking a completely different approach, Norwest substituted a pole-mounted, distributed system of ARCS Wide in the northern stands to account for the lack of rigging infrastructure. Arrays were still flown where possible—specifically for the main grandstand and western stand—with ARCS WiFo and 12XT as additional fills. All K-Series cabinets were powered by LA12X amplified controllers, while the fill speakers used LA8, housed in distributed nodes around the field of play or in catwalks in custom, rain-proof tents.
Additional sporting venues deployed L-Acoustics small to mid-format line array speakers, with Rowe’s designs typically utilising truss-mounted arrays of Kiva II, ARCS WiFo or dV-DOSC to cover the full height and width of the seating stands. Outdoor venues with no roof or rigging structures employed ground-based arrays of dV-DOSC atop dV-Subs. The outdoor venues with rigging structures, such as the Carrara Stadium and Optus Aquatic Centre, flew arrays of ARCS WiFo supplemented with 12XT mounted to the grandstand with specially engineered mountings. These systems were all powered with a combination of LA8 and LA4X amplified controllers. Finally, X8 coaxial enclosures were positioned in the highest reaches of the grandstands to fill the upper seating banks in the Aquatic Centre.
“The audio results were superb,” concluded Whitehouse. “This was our second ceremonies event using our fleet of KS28 subs; they’re truly a stunning unit. Like all L‑Acoustics products, they do so much more than simply produce a pleasing picture on the analyser; they’re very musical. The K2 dolly and jack system makes for exceptionally quick deployment and recovery, a necessity when the team have less than 24 hours to turn an athletics stadium into a theatre. Using our existing systems combined with our K2 / K1SB system produced a simply wonderful end result, with great reports coming from all quarters.”
Airstar Illuminates Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix
Located in the heart of the desert outside the capital of Doha, Losail International Circuit is among the best motor racing circuits in the Middle East. This world-class venue hosts the Grand Prix of Qatar every year, one of the flagship events of the MotoGP season.
In 2008, the race became the first one to take place by night, at a more advantageous time for television broadcasts but also in order to benefit from milder temperatures.
Thanks to a permanent and ground-breaking lighting system, riders can ride on the 5.4 km track as if they were in daylight. Since 2016, the Losail Circuit Sports Club team relies on Airstar, the French manufacturer and world leader of lighting balloons, to light up the paddocks where teams prepare and adjust their motorcycles.
The Airstar balloons have also provided lighting for the Public Area, where additional entertainment and attractions are offered to visitors, such as camel riding, falconry, or traditional Arabic coffee making. In 2018, the Losail International Circuit also had the honour of receiving the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who was attending the event for the first time.
“The Grand Prix of Qatar is the only MotoGP race that is held under floodlights. However, the lighting has to be perfect to ensure the safety of the riders, as if they were riding in the day time. In addition, we wanted to give a nice and pleasant atmosphere to the place, and that is exactly what Airstar balloons offer”, commented Juan Baquero, CEO of the Losail Circuit Sports Club. “We know and work with Airstar for three years now, they are part of our MotoGP event.”
For this first race of the 2018 MotoGP season, the Airstar Middle-East team has deployed 50 Pixocom balloons. Measuring three meters in diameter and with a power of 9kW, the Pixocom – like all Airstar Balloons – provided a glare-free, efficient and aesthetic light to the 32,000 spectators. This glare-free aspect is particularly appreciated by riders who are not disturbed during their race.
Despite restrictions around the transportation of goods due to the location of the event, the Airstar and Losail teams both worked tirelessly, completing the installation in just four days. "We worked day and night" remembers Hicham Lalmi, Managing Director of Airstar Middle East. "But thanks to the professionalism of the circuit team, we were able to work in very good conditions to deliver the project on time. It has been a pleasure and an honour to work with them again.”
"With Airstar’s lighting balloons in place, spectators, just like the riders, were able to fully enjoy and immerse themselves in the race. The Airstar team was ready and willing to help us throughout the event and we look forward to continuing the collaboration in the years to come," concluded Juan Baquero.
AES Equips Pau Grand Prix
For more than a century, the streets of Pau city in the south of France are annually transformed into a racetrack for the Grand Prix of Pau.
Audio Equipements Spectacles (AES) designed and provided the sound system for the public areas of the event, including the five grandstands located at key spectator points around the track. To achieve the best sound quality possible, AES manager, Jean-Noël Cazalis, opted to implement a high impedance solution.
Being a major provider of event sound, and with the contract for the Grand Prix of Pau for three years, AES was able to invest substantially in the system and chose Community R SERIES loudspeakers, which provided the sound quality, high output, controlled coverage and all-weather capability they wanted. Powersoft M Series amplifiers were chosen to complete the ideal system.
Jean-Noël Cazalis explained, “The public areas were very large and the locations to install loudspeakers were quite distant from them. After discussing the project with Sequoia Audio-DV2, we bought seventy-six Community R.15COAX and twelve R.35COAX loudspeakers, with Powersoft M30D-DSP amplifiers to drive them.” Jean-Noël continued, “Everything went extremely well. The critical parameters of coverage and intelligibility comfortably met our expectations. The system performed perfectly, with a lot of headroom!”