Malmö Eleda Stadium is the stadium and home of Malmö FF, Sweden’s most successful professional football team, and is known for its highly modern design and use of technology since being built in 2009. The venue recently decided to upgrade its audio system, calling upon a bespoke design from L-Acoustics, based around its A-Series product line.
“The refit came about when the stadium started to have problems with its fire alarm system, which is integral to the sound system,” said Ola Bigélius, project manager at Creative Technology Sweden, appointed to lead the installation. “The technical team had been considering upgrading the current audio system, which was the impetus they needed to proceed with the project.”
Malmö Eleda Stadium has a 22,500 capacity and is the third largest football venue in the country. Being UEFA-rated, the stadium is able to host international club matches and has ten training pitches for its football training school. It is also used for business and entertainment purposes in its event space, and its restaurant has an 800-person capacity.
“Foremost, the stadium needed a new audio system that would satisfy FIFA requirements, and, although three or four other brands pitched for the job, L-Acoustics is the perfect choice to fulfil that brief,” said Bigélius. “The decision to specify L-Acoustics was also swayed by the versatility of the system, its vast product range, and the brand’s reputation across all sound reinforcement genres. It was the logical and intuitive choice.”
The Eleda team collaborated with Creative Technology and decided on an L-Acoustics A-Series constant curvature medium throw system to manage and control the audio direction in the upper and lower terraces without bleeding onto the pitch. The loudspeaker components were configured using L-Acoustics Soundvision software which aided the design of the optimum number and location of enclosures, resulting in over 80 individual cabinets installed around the stadium.
Hung from the roof structure above the stands, the system is arranged in five arrays of three L-Acoustics A15i Wide 2-way passive speakers in the West stand, six arrays of three A15i Wide in the East stand, four arrays of three A15i Wide in the North stand, and four arrays of three A15i Wide in the South stand. There is also an array of three A15i Wide and an A15i Focus in each corner of the stadium. At pitch level, five arrays of A15i, four of which comprise three A15i Focus and one with two A15i Wide and an A15i Focus, are also installed. A separate loudspeaker system dedicated to players, comprising 12 L-Acoustics A10i cabinets, is installed at ground level around the circumference of the pitch.
“Effectively, we had two systems, one for the athletes and one for the spectators,” said Bigélius. “Naturally, there is a degree of reflection from the stands and noise from the spectators onto the pitch, but it is not intrusive, and everyone is very happy with the results. We have intelligible commentary and announcements for the fans without disturbing the players’ concentration on the field,”
22 L-Acoustics LA4X amplifiers make up the total of controllers stationed in four different locations around the stadium. A P1 Milan AVB Processor serves as the front of the system and M1 software was used to calibrate the system.
“The Eleda team is happy with the new audio system, which provides excellent coverage and focused clarity,” Bigélius concluded. “As part of a much larger control system, L-Acoustics’ ability to synchronise makes it a great investment for the stadium."