How cunning is that?

[Dog Star]

A bloke at work, who has recently arrived from Brisbane, swears that this is a true story.
He told me that when a local football club (no names-no pack drill) built their new club house/playing field, their flood lights were deliberately tilted at an angle to shine into surrounding houses and windows. When people inevitably complained, they "complied with community spirit" and decreased the angle just enough to avoid the houses.
In this way they are able to project enormous volumes of light into the sky with little risk of further complaints as they have already complied with the locals' wishes. Anyone who complains now will look like a whingeing ratbag.
Claims he got the story from one of the board members, who related the story with fiendish glee.
I so want to not believe this but...

[renormalised]

Needs fining....1. For being smart arses about their lights in the first place, 2. For contravening the state's light pollution laws, and, 3. Have their lights either removed or reduced in wattage and made to shine where they're supposed to...on the footy grounds.

This is where govn' should enact strict laws against this sort of smart arse behaviour.

[Glenhuon]

It has always puzzled me. Why would you want to play a sport, Footy, Cricket etc, in the dark part of the day. Floodlit sports fields are a total non neccessity, if its too dark, go home and do something usefull and if you are a "proffessional sportsperson", go find a real job :)

Bill

[leon]

I'm not surprised, some people will do anything to their advantage, and don't care who the hurt in the process.

leon

[Ric]

Why does that not surprise me.

I have seen some club boards in action and find it totally believeable.

[Virgs]

Why would a football club want its very expensive lights which are even more expensive to run pointing up in the sky when the field is below? Why would they have so much cash around could they pay someone to climb the big light towers to adjust all of the lights? This does not make any sense at any level. What advantage do they get by less illumination on the field where it is needed as to shooting photons up into the sky? Please some one provide a logical explanation to this.

[Dog Star]

The bloke who told me has no particular axe to grind either way. Not an astronomer, not a footballer, and he doesn't seem to be the sort of bloke to tell porkies. Just a story he related to me when I was having one of my light pollution rants.
You may have read another thread on IIS about a football club that was shining searchlights up into the sky.:screwy:
Makes no sense to me either. Some people, commercial institutions in particular, just seem to have a "light" fetish. :shrug: