Pole layout for football pitches: 4, 6 or 8 poles?

Pole count is usually the first cost decision on a football lighting project, and the one that shapes everything after it.

Four corner poles

• Lowest pole count and civil-works cost.
• Long throw distances, so tall poles (typically 25 m and above) and narrow beams are needed.
• Goalkeepers face fixtures at the corners; aiming must be checked carefully.
• Common for training and lower classes on smaller pitches.

Six poles (three per side)

• Shorter throws, better uniformity, lower pole heights.
• Popular for community and club pitches where Class II–III is the target.

Eight poles (four per side)

• Best uniformity and modelling for the given level; lowest glare per fixture.
• Higher civil-works cost; usually chosen for higher classes or where neighbours restrict pole height.

Rules that apply to all layouts

• Keep poles out of the goal-line zone behind the goals, so goalkeepers are not looking into fixtures.
• Respect a minimum angle between the pitch centre line and the line from the fixture to the pitch centre; low, close poles produce glare.
• Check pole height against aiming angle. As a rule of thumb, aiming angles above about 70° from vertical rapidly raise glare and spill.

Where to start

Send us the pitch dimensions, the target class and any constraints on pole positions. We usually compare two layouts in the first study so the trade-off between civil works and luminaire count is visible in numbers.