Before any stadium or arena can host college tournament games in the United States, there are standards set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that must be met. Part of the standards include lighting for games based on the venue and the sport being broadcast on television. Some requirements for some games are discussed below.
Basketball
According to the NCAA, all lighting for basketball games must have a standard color temperature of 3600 Kelvin and a lower Color Rendering Index of 65. But since the venues used for the Division I tournament of the NCAA are different, where country houses, NBA arenas, and football stadium domes are used, the lighting requirements are not the same. Country houses capable of holding about 10,000 spectators require 125 foot-candles per square foot. NBA arenas with seating capacities between 15,000 and 20,000 require 200, while domed arenas with a seating capacity of around 70,000 require 250.
Soccer
The main determinant of lighting requirements for NCAA football games is television coverage. Non-televised games require 50 foot-candles of light, while regionally broadcast games require 75. If a game is to be broadcast for a national audience, the lighting requirement is 100, while championship games require 50 foot-candles. 125.
Hockey
Standard televised college hockey games are lit with 100 foot-candles, but the Division I Frozen Four and lower division championships require 125.
lacrosse and soccer
Since lacrosse games are commonly played on soccer fields, the lighting conditions are the same. For a standard game, 50 foot-candles of lighting are required, 75 for a regional broadcast, 100 for a national broadcast, and 125 for championship games.
Baseball and Softball
These two games also use the same field, making their lighting requirements the same. For standard games, the infield should be lit with 70 foot-candles and 50 for the outfield. Games that will be broadcast regionally and nationally require 100 for base roads and 70 for outfield turf. For the duration of the championship rounds, the field requires 125 in the infield and 100 in the outfield.
Wrestling, Boxing and Volleyball
These three games use 80 foot-candles for each standard and regional broadcast, 100 for national broadcast, and 125 for championships.
Swimming and Water polo
These two games require 50 foot-candles for standard matches or matches, 75 for regional broadcasts, 100 for national broadcasts, and 125 for championships.