Since Leicester City’s shock Premier League title win in the 2015/2016 season, the club’s fortunes have shifted significantly, with the Foxes establishing themselves as one of the most savvy, forward-thinking clubs in Europe. Just as the side’s fortunes on the pitch are on the rise due to intelligent investment, the same can be said of King Power Stadium, too, with the 32,313-seat ground having seen a revamp in key areas.
One element that the club wanted to enhance further was the visual communications, with the brief being to have giant digital displays able to reach all four corners of the stadium, improving the match coverage and content for the fans, as well as giving the club opportunity to drive revenue through advertising opportunities.
Leicester City called upon Concept Group, one of Europe’s leading visual communications experts, to deliver what they wanted, managing all aspects of the product to ensure a seamless installation and implementation.
Sean Morrough, Concept Group’s Director, takes up the story: “The brief from the club was to provide two high-quality LED screens, one at each end of the stadium, encompassing a dynamic back-end control system to provide video playback, potential for advertising revenue, fan engagement and experience and, of course, a scoreboard.
“Daktronics are the market leader in providing LED display solutions for iconic stadiums globally. We have a strong partnership with them and, together, deliver LED display solutions for a wide variety of clients. As such, for us, it was important to work with a trusted partner on such a high profile location. We knew that Daktronics would provide a total solution, inclusive of the back-end show control system, and not have to rely on third party systems. Essentially, we had a fully integrated solution for King Power Stadium.”
Sean explained further: “We were entrenched in the design process from the outset, working closely with Daktronics on the technology aspects to ensure we had the best solution, bearing in mind viewing angles, distances, screen quality and back-end control systems, but we had to overcome the challenges that came with the screen positions.
“Initially, we highlighted that the proposed locations weren’t suitable because they blocked the sky camera views, the view of some of the supporters and also would have blocked the view of a high ball position for both broadcast and fans within the stadium. So, we came up with a different location for the screens, which involved moving them further forward to the front of the roof structures. In doing so, we actually enabled the club to have much larger screens and came up with a structural design solution, which meant the project was deliverable, and also ticked all the boxes as far as the viewing angles, camera positions and fan experiences were concerned.”
As well as the positioning, a solution was needed in terms of the loadings, so that the displays’ supporting structures could integrate with the existing roof trusses.
The end result has been hugely impressive, with the new LED displays delivering exactly what Leicester City wanted at King Power Stadium.
“The feedback has been fantastic – we’ve got a lot of positive comments, especially on social media from fans, who are all very impressed with the scale of the displays that went in. The general reaction centred around the fact that fans went to one match with no screens and, by the time they returned for the next match, there were two massive screens there with a big reveal,” Sean said.
“These screens really do deliver on Leicester City’s requirement to offer a great fan experience, and what is great is that the screens we provided reflect the facilities and the fantastic culture at the club. When you look at the training ground they are currently building and the facilities they are looking to implement there, the display technology we’ve put in really demonstrates the high standards they uphold.”
As well as the new screens, Leicester City have also upgraded the pitch lighting system at King Power Stadium. The revamp has seen the club install Musco Lighting’s Total Light Control for LED system putting the stadium on par with the world’s elite sporting venues – enhancing the matchday experience for fans in attendance and providing brilliant broadcast quality for the Premier League’s audience of billions around the world.
TLC for LED is Musco Lighting’s trouble-free solution that is capable of controlling light with precision on the pitch to create an unmatched playing and viewing experience, while virtually eliminating glare and spill for nearby homes, the surrounding environment, and the night sky.
Final calibration and testing of the new system took place the week before the opening game of the 2019/2020 Premier League season and, with everything in place, the new pitch lighting at King Power Stadium adds a new dimension to matchday entertainment, with instant illumination creating the opportunity for lighting special effects ahead of matches after dark.
It’s not just the matchday experience that has been on the agenda for Leicester City, with an audio upgrade of the conference facilities also completed. The 650-capacity Walkers Hall and 500-capacity Keith Weller Lounge, as well as the bar area have been revolutionised by the new Electro-Voice sound system installation.
The big task for Birmingham-based installer, DMX Productions, was to achieve uniform coverage of the challenging shape of Walkers Hall, which is used for presentations and conferences. The clear solution was Electro-Voice’s EVC-1122-VI loudspeaker with its unique variable-intensity configuration that evenly covers a clearly defined rectangular area.
Eight white EVC-1122-VI cabinets form the main solution, mounted near the ceiling of the 3.9-metre high void space. These are supplemented by 16 Electro-Voice EVID 6.2 wall-mounted loudspeakers. The high loudspeaker count further contributes to even coverage at moderate sound levels, yet ensures plenty of headroom when needed.
Leicester City’s Technical Manager, Tom Brown said: “I’m really pleased with the way the EVs cover the whole of the Walker Hall, it’s totally seamless no matter where you are in the room, and the loudpeakers look and sound great.”
A further two spaces – a bar area and a conference room – are fitted with ZX1i loudspeakers in white, while a set of EVOLVE 50 portable column loudspeaker systems is always available for special events requiring extra-high SPL and extended bass.
“I’m very happy,” concluded Sean. “The acid test for us is when the visiting engineer prefers to use the house system to get a better result – that speaks volumes!”
