Blackpool FC has completed a major upgrade to the audio system at Bloomfield Road Stadium. The new Nexo public address and emergency voice alarm installation was finished during the close season and is now operational as the team prepares for a key away match at Leyton Orient this Saturday.
Glynn Makin, the stadium operations and facilities manager at Blackpool FC, oversaw the project. Makin said the six-week installation went smoothly despite concurrent stadium painting, new LED floodlight fitting, and East Stand refurbishment work. "Looking at the proposed specifications with Paul, I decided that the Nexo product was the ideal solution for Bloomfield Road," Makin said.
Project details and technical specifications
The system was designed by Protec Fire & Security in collaboration with Nexo’s engineering support team. Protec stripped out the old audio system and cabling before installing new infrastructure from Nexo’s P+ point source range. The 16,500-seat stadium now features 21 Nexo P12 cabinets across the three permanent stands, named after club legends Stan Mortensen, Sir Stanley Matthews, and Jimmy Armfield. Nine Nexo P10 loudspeakers cover the temporary East Stand. Amplification and processing are handled by four Nexo NXAMP4X2Mk2 Powered TD Controllers, each equipped with a Dante network card.
Paul Faulkner, audio manager at Protec, praised the system's performance. "The Emergency Voice Alarm Sound System has delivered exceptional performance, providing clear, intelligible audio coverage throughout the stadium," Faulkner said. Nexo’s team acoustically modelled the stadium bowl to determine optimal loudspeaker positioning for consistent coverage and speech intelligibility. The system is designed to meet the latest safety standards for emergency announcements while also enhancing the clarity of pre-match music and in-game announcements.
Stadium context and current form
The upgrade comes as Blackpool seek to improve their fortunes on the pitch. The team currently sits 18th in League One with eight points from eight games, having taken just two points from their last five matches. They have scored 11 goals but conceded 13, leaving them with a negative goal difference of minus 2. Their next challenge is an away fixture against 12th-placed Leyton Orient, a game vital to their efforts to climb the table. The new audio system at Bloomfield Road will be ready for its next full test when the team returns home, following this weekend's trip to Brisbane Road. The club hopes the improved matchday atmosphere and safety provisions will coincide with an upturn in results as the season progresses.
More detail at inavateonthenet.net
