NFLPA head calls for all grass playing surfaces

[LadyStanley]

NFLPA director Lloyd Howell calls for natural grass at all NFL stadiums after Aaron Rodgers injury

The newly elected NFLPA director pointed out that some stadiums flip to natural grass for soccer, and switch back to artificial turf for football.

sports.yahoo.com

How many domed stadiums do not have a grass tray that allows grass to grow in sun?

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[BigBadBruins7708]

Ironic since about a decade ago the outcry was to do away with grass fields because they couldn't hold up and were causing injuries from patch jobs and getting too slippery

 

[Lt Dan]

Ironic since about a decade ago the outcry was to do away with grass fields because they couldn't hold up and were causing injuries from patch jobs and getting too slippery

indeed

but people have short memories

 

[Johnny Rifle]

If the NFLPA wants grass then they are going to have to share the cost with the NFL, and it won't be insignificant.

Putting down grass in a place like Ford Field isn't impossible, just like growing plants without direct sunlight isn't impossible. It's just super expensive.

 

[StreetHawk]

If the NFLPA wants grass then they are going to have to share the cost with the NFL, and it won't be insignificant.

Putting down grass in a place like Ford Field isn't impossible, just like growing plants without direct sunlight isn't impossible. It's just super expensive.

Need to separate outdoor vs indoor ones. As of this season, of the 30 stadiums that host the NFL we have a 15/15 split (but 17/32 teams have turf since LA/NY share)

Grass we have:
SF, AZ, CHI, GB, TB, PHI, WAS, KC, LV, DEN, Pit, CLE, BAL, JAX, MIA
Turf we have:
LA, SEA, MIN, DET, NO, ATL, CAR, DAL, NY, CIN, IND, HOU, TEN, BUF, NE,

Of the turf, 8 indoor and 7 outdoor.

Houston, an indoor one has had grass before, so for them it's possible.

You can cut up a grass field into a few large sections or many smaller sections. Question is where and how do you store it to maintain the integrity of the grass. And what is the timeline needed to make the changeover and how long does it need to sit after it is put back into the stadium before it is game ready?

Tottenheim and Man U. have stadiums now that can do it automatically to remove the grass field. But, haven't seen how long the field needs to sit once returned to the surface.

That's the challenge on top of the higher costs. These billionaire owners can handle covering the few extra millions it costs to maintain the grass.

But, it's the other events that they need to change for that is a concern. Seattle is packed with 25 concerts/shows and 5 soccer matches during the Seahawks season. I'm sure most of the indoor turf ones are booked like that as well.
Only the colder midwest to eastern ones are less packed. Cincy, NY, Buf, nothing but football during the NFL season. NE, has 3 concerts and 4 soccer matches or something. But, they need to account for MLS playoffs.

How can you maintain the integrity of a grass surface and still hold other events? That's the main question to figure out. What is it like in Europe when they host concerts and European football matches.

 

[famicommander]

Good. Get rid of domes while we're at it. It's football, not ballet, we play it in the weather.

 

[StreetHawk]

Good. Get rid of domes while we're at it. It's football, not ballet, we play it in the weather.

Honestly, I don't get how the northern cities with outdoor stadiums get a return on the stadium since for most of them from Sep to April, it's pretty much all Football games that are scheduled. NE has like 7/8 events for concerts and MLS scheduled to early October.

I get making a return on the stadium.

Teams are not sacrificing other events in favour of putting down grass. Owners should be able to bear the cost of a few million to use new sod every couple of weeks (probably get into scheduling 2 straight home games so that the grass lasts before having to remove it).

It's just whether the grass holds up in between change over of events so that it's in good shape to play on.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Honestly, I don't get how the northern cities with outdoor stadiums get a return on the stadium since for most of them from Sep to April, it's pretty much all Football games that are scheduled. NE has like 7/8 events for concerts and MLS scheduled to early October.

I get making a return on the stadium.

Teams are not sacrificing other events in favour of putting down grass. Owners should be able to bear the cost of a few million to use new sod every couple of weeks (probably get into scheduling 2 straight home games so that the grass lasts before having to remove it).

It's just whether the grass holds up in between change over of events so that it's in good shape to play on.

The reason New England went to field turf is because the grass wasn't holding up. They were having to do emergency patch jobs in the season and any time it rained or snowed the field turned into a mud pit

 

[Johnny Rifle]

Honestly, I don't get how the northern cities with outdoor stadiums get a return on the stadium since for most of them from Sep to April, it's pretty much all Football games that are scheduled. NE has like 7/8 events for concerts and MLS scheduled to early October.

The Tennessee Titans might build a domed stadium in the unbearable harsh weather of Nashville because they want the NCAA basketball Final Four. That's just one event and two nights every 5-15 years, but apparently the money earned is worth the extra cost of the roof.

The reason New England went to field turf is because the grass wasn't holding up. They were having to do emergency patch jobs in the season and any time it rained or snowed the field turned into a mud pit

As was the case in New York Monday night, rainy conditions might have turned that grass field into a worse surface than the artificial turf there now.

I've yet to see a conclusive study done about the injury rate on turf vs. grass. Truth is, the conditions of both surfaces contribute greatly to the injury rate as well as the cleats the players are wearing.

The "Field of Seams" days of Veterans Stadium and Three Rivers Stadium are long gone. Today's fake grass is much better than it was 30 years ago. In fact, I'd be willing to bet the farm that 30 years from now turf will have advanced so much that players will eventually prefer it over natural grass.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

Good. Get rid of domes while we're at it. It's football, not ballet, we play it in the weather.

It was a sad day when the Vikings had a chance to move outdoors but instead replaced a dome with another dome.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

There has GOT to be a way to have grass field indoors. ANd without having to do what Raiders do and roll the field in from outside on gamedays.

 

[StreetHawk]

There has GOT to be a way to have grass field indoors. ANd without having to do what Raiders do and roll the field in from outside on gamedays.

But you have to factor in that some stadiums have other event scheduled during the nfl season.

How would grass hold up if it’s the permanent surface during all of these other events?
If you remove the grass in sections like we see in a couple of the big market European stadiums how long does the surface need to sit when the grass is returned to the surface before you play another game on it.

If your focus is just that 1 nfl game each week, you can figure out a way to put down grass. But with other events you’re factoring in having it in good enough condition to play a game.

JJ Watt on the McAfee show yesterday said turf is only good on bad weather. He also acknowledged that Sofi playing surface is below grade so there are challenges.