Crowds at Leeds United Football Club’s Elland Road stadium will be able to hear broadcast messages and emergency evacuation procedures with a lot more clarity — thanks to a new Martin Audio-based public address installation carried out by leading system integrator, Advance Integrated Systems.

The company were one of four firms asked to tender to their own design and their submissions where checked for statutory compliance on behalf of the Football Trust by consultants, AMS Acoustics.

AIS’s Managing Director Alan Inkster says that the requirement was for an emergency sound system that would comply with BS7827 and the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (“The Green Guide”).

His company was supported by a large product catalogue from Martin Audio, and the expertise of EASE specialist, Peter Child, who produced data and system verification for
all four stands alongside AIS Director Stephen McCay.

In total AIS have distributed 25 Blackline F12 (12" + 1") enclosures in the North, South and West stands, with some of the pre-existing enclosures being redeployed for infill duties.

To provide the coverage and quality required for the impressive East stand, they also needed some long throw enclosures — and Martin Audio again had the purpose solution, supplying five AM906 large-format lightweight composite material stadium horns, giving 90° x 60° coverage, and five AM404 stadium horns, with a spread of 40° x 40° — mounted at the front of the stands, with five WTUB (twin 6.5" + three 1" soft dome) cabinets as under balcony fills. Four Blackline H2’s (10" + 1", horn-loaded mid/hi pack) for covering the pitch, complete the system design.

All Blackline cabinets and WTUB’s were weather-proofed for external use and fitted with high quality 100V line transformers.
The system is fed from a networked Bosch Praesidio, digital software controlled PA/VA system running on a redundant ring based, fire rated fibre optic backbone, backed up by a UPS system — and an auto start generator — provided by the club. Inputs include a number of feeds from the DJ station, a fully monitored control room mic used by the police and a remote back-up mic located outside the stadium. The new sound system was installed in time for the Premiership season kick off on August 16.

Left to right: Alan Inkster (AIS managing director), with Martin Wood, senior project engineer responsible for Elland Road.
The stand in the background is the East Stand which is over 35 metres high and features the AM stadium horns.