One of the hottest topics of this NFL season has been about playing surfaces and the dangers turf fields can often present to players.
When New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered an ACL tear in Week 1, the debate between artificial turf and grass heated up.
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of two teams (Green Bay Packers) that play on a combination of turf and grass at Lincoln Financial Field, which opened in 2003.Currently, 14 teams out of 32 do not play on real grass.
Today, the league announced a crowd-sourced challenge to accelerate innovations that can help make playing surfaces more consistent and safer for players.
NFL players continue to advocate for grass fields because of the link with non-contact lower-body injuries on artificial turf. NFLPA’s new executive director, Lloyd Howell, released a statement in September saying all NFL stadiums need to have natural grass.
The league is inviting submissions for how it can better its playing surfaces ... and offering a reward.
According to the NFL: "The 'HealthTECH Challenge I' is open to submissions from companies and new ventures from outside the surface industry, including representatives of academic institutions, design houses and other entities that specialize in engineering, advanced manufacturing, and material science."
"The challenge will provide up to $100,000 to entrants with ideas that further improve the safety and consistency of playing surfaces. The individuals or groups who submit projects that are selected for funding will have the opportunity to work with an expert support team to further develop their concept and plan for creating a finished product."
"I love Andy," Kelce said via 94WIP. "There's two teams that I haven't beaten, this year, that are on the schedule and it's the Chiefs and the Seahawks. I'd love to get a win. Try not to make that the main focus, you try and just focus on the little keys to victory and doing your job and staying locked in. But yeah, Andy's had our number since he left Philadelphia."
Today, the league announced a crowd-sourced challenge to accelerate innovations that can help make playing surfaces more consistent and safer for players. NFL players continue to advocate for grass fields because of the link with non-contact lower-body injuries on artificial turf.
There are also multiple types of turf and grass in use, perhaps further complicating matters. The league doesn't have a specific regulation on the type of surfaces teams lay down. As of now, 15 stadiums have artificial turf and 15 have grass or hybrid grass, which is natural turf reinforced with synthetic fibers.
The NFL says some artificial turf fields are safer than some grass fields and wants to reduce injuries on all surfaces. About half the NFL stadiums use artificial turf. Both sides use the same data on non-contact injury rates, but have interpreted the figures differently.
There are several manufacturers of artificial turf fields, including AstroTurf, ProGrass and PowerBlade. The most commonly used in major college football is FieldTurf, a product by the Canadian company of the same name that is used in at least 50 stadiums, including at Ohio State, Texas, Oregon and Notre Dame.
The Bills have played on artificial turf since Highmark Stadium's opening in 1973, but New Highmark Stadium, set to open in 2026, will feature a grass field. Currently, 14 teams out of 32 do not play on real grass. The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers use a combination of turf and grass.
The Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium. Also referred to as 'Jerry World,' the stadium opened in 2009 and has Hellas Matrix Turf. The turf used at the AT&T stadium is made by the same manufacturer as that used at the Houston Texans' NRG Stadium and SoFi Stadium, where both the L.A. Rams and Chargers play.
On the Peaco*ck broadcast, Kaylee Hartung reports that Arrowhead Stadium has a heating system that makes the conditions a little easier — for players, at least. Thousands of feet of piping beneath the field are pumping heat to keep the ground from freezing. The Chiefs installed the $2.2 million heating system in 2016.
Like State Farm Stadium, Allegiant Stadium is a domed stadium that utilizes a field tray that enables the Raiders to play on natural grass. Using an artificial turf field would be more convenient, but owner Mark Davis insisted on natural grass because that's what the majority of NFL players prefer.
A hybrid grass system combines the best characteristics of natural grass with the wear tolerance and durability of artificial grass. The natural grass is reinforced with artificial grass fibres which extends its durability.
While hybrid grass emerges from the combination of 2 products (natural grass and artificial fibers), this is not the case for artificial turf and artificial turf is considered a single product. In hybrid turf, on the other hand, synthetic fibers and natural turf are intertwined by utilizing the benefits of technology.
What is a hybrid football pitch? A football hybrid turf is a natural turf sports surface reinforced with synthetic fibers. In such a system, the optimal playing characteristics of a natural turf are enhanced by an artificial component.
Conversion to a "conventional" natural grass pitch, sown from seed or laid as a roll of turf, usually costs in the region of 170,000 – 250,000 Euros. Hybrid sport turf pitches cost around 250,000 to 350,000 Euros depending on system and artificial turf pitches around 400,000 to 600,000 Euros.
Introduction: My name is Corie Satterfield, I am a fancy, perfect, spotless, quaint, fantastic, funny, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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