Protec Fire & Security has installed a new Nexo public address and emergency voice alarm system at Blackpool FC’s 16,500-capacity Bloomfield Road Stadium.
The Lancashire-based integrator removed the stadium’s existing audio system and cabling before installing new infrastructure and Nexo P+ Series point-source loudspeakers throughout the four stands.
The system was designed by Protec in collaboration with Nexo’s engineering support team, which acoustically modelled the stadium bowl to determine
loudspeaker positioning, dispersion and coverage.
A total of 21 Nexo P12 cabinets serve three permanent stands, with six covering the Stan Mortensen North Stand, seven installed in the Sir Stanley Matthews West Stand and eight serving the Jimmy Armfield South Stand.
A further nine P10 loudspeakers cover the
temporary East Stand, with the cabinets mounted at the ends of the steel roof-support girders.
The P12 loudspeakers are fitted with horn flanges providing asymmetrical 60-100 x 40-degree dispersion, while the P10 units use 110 x 60-degree configurations. The approach was intended to provide consistent coverage and
speech intelligibility across the seating areas while controlling sound dispersion within the stadium.
Amplification and processing for the entire installation is handled by four Nexo NXAMP4X2Mk2 Powered TD Controllers, each equipped with a Dante network card.
Paul Faulkner, audio manager at Protec, said: “The Emergency Voice Alarm
Sound System has delivered exceptional performance, providing clear, intelligible audio coverage throughout the stadium.
“A key factor in achieving this success was the close collaboration with Nexo, who acoustically modelled the entire bowl to ensure all performance requirements were met and that optimum coverage was achieved across every
seating area.”
He added: “Throughout the project, Nexo provided invaluable technical support and guidance, working closely with our team from design, installation through to commissioning.”
The new system was installed during the close season, with the PA and PAVA works completed in approximately six weeks alongside other
stadium upgrades including LED floodlighting and refurbishment of the East Stand.
Glynn Makin, stadium operations and facilities manager at Blackpool FC, said: “Looking at the proposed specifications with Paul, I decided that the Nexo product was the ideal solution for Bloomfield Road, with all the other Premier
League and national stadiums in which Nexo systems are installed only confirming that I was making the right choice.”
“The sound and PAVA project took approximately six weeks from start to finish in the close season and everything went very smoothly which was quite a challenge as we
were also painting the stadium, installing new LED floodlights and bird proof netting, and refurbishing the East Stand.”
The installation is intended to serve both matchday audio requirements and the stadium’s emergency communication needs, with the loudspeaker design balancing coverage, intelligibility and sufficient output for the 16,500-seat venue.