Philips, Atletico Madrid strike deal for La Peineta lighting

Atletico Madrid’s long-mooted move away from Estadio Vicente Calderon is nearing ever closer. First announced nearly 10 years ago, the relocation process has endured delays and controversy has arisen regarding what Atletico plan to do with the Calderon site after the stadium is demolished. However, none of this has deterred the club, which has released several photo galleries over the past year so that fans can come to grips with the club leaving a sacred ground get a closer look at the new suburban digs.

On Wednesday, Atletico announced an agreement with Philips to provide the lighting at La Peineta (which still does not have an official name). The agreement runs for four years and means La Peineta will be the first stadium in the world to be powered entirely by LED technology. Different color projections will be shown when goals are scored and lighting shows will be available for other occasions - similar to Munich’s Allianz Arena. The stadium’s roof will be powered by Philips VayaFlood and the more than 16 million colors contained therein, while the facade’s lighting displays will be generated by Philips ColorKinetics.

This seems pretty dang cool. Enrique Cerezo has stated that the club hopes to host a Champions League final, among others, in the new stadium, and the implementation of a unique light show at a reconstructed facility could boost the chances of that happening in the future.