The Santiago Bernabeu stadium field will be kept in shape by Rhenac Sports LED grass grow technology.

The stadium of the Spanish football club is currently being converted into a multi-use events temple. In addition to hosting games of Real Madrid FC, the Santiago Bernabeu stadium will soon host other sports events, concerts and even exhibitions. All this will be possible thanks to an innovative pitch that will use an innovative technology to keep in shape.

The stadium has opted to place the pitch into movable containers that can be stored in a 30-metre-deep bunker when the venue is used for other events. Once the field is stored away, the combination of irrigation, air conditioning and Rhenac Sports LED technology will ensure that the grass will have enough water, air and light while it sits in the bunker.

Complete light spectrum

Rhenac Sports LED says that it can deliver the complete light spectrum, ranging from ultraviolet to infrared light. “Our decision to prioritise understanding the growing conditions that turf needs during its life cycle has put Rhenac Sports LED in a unique position to deliver a perfect pitch every time,” explains Horst Theisen, CEO of Rhenac Sports LED. Theisen is referring to the 4-year-long study they did with the University of Munich where they studied all the light requirements grass has during the various life stages before the German company could translate this knowledge into light deliverables.

Unique solution

This coming summer, six teams comprised of engineers and electricians will install approximately 750,000 LEDs that will be placed into 6,300 luminaires. The technology will be fitted to a steel structure that forms part of the underfloor storage bunker. This is not the first time that Rhenac Sports LED has installed LED grass grow lights on a bespoke steel structure. In 2020, the company did something similar at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen. Here, two steel beams with LED grass grow technology span the width of the field and supplement the light the field is lacking during winter conditions. Agronomists of the German FA have confirmed the effectiveness of the technology.

The project in Madrid will start immediately at the end of the present football season and handover is scheduled before the start of the 2023-2024 season.