Clark Hunt confident in Estadio Azteca field conditions this season

There won’t be a cancellation related to the playing surface at Estadio Azteca this time around.

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Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt took to the podium this afternoon, and one of the first questions was about the field conditions at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Last season, the Chiefs were scheduled to play the Los Angeles Rams at Estadio Azteca, but the field was in poor condition amid rainy weather and a packed event schedule at the stadium. The NFL ultimately chose to move the game back to Los Angeles amid concerns over the turf.

This season, the league has taken measures to ensure that the International Series game between the Chiefs and Chargers will go off without a hitch. Hunt is sure that the field is in good condition ahead of Monday night.

“Our field staff has been in contact with the league, who has been in contact with the representatives in Mexico City who have been taking care of the field,” Hunt said. “It’s a completely different field and it’s in much better condition than it was last year.”

Last year’s complications led to the officials at Estadio Azteca installing a new, natural playing surface over the summer. The installation and preparation has been overseen by NFL officials as well as the experts from World Sports Turf.

Now, the Chiefs will get their opportunity to go down to Mexico City and expand their brand internationally without having to worry about a questionable playing surface putting their players at risk of injury. While Hunt didn’t lobby for the opportunity to have the Chiefs play in Mexico City this season, you won’t find anyone in Kansas City complaining about their AFC West rivals in Los Angeles giving up a home game.

“I was hopeful that we would have a chance to go to Mexico City,” Hunt said. “I think all of the international games are important to the league and they’re also important to the Chiefs from a branding standpoint. I frankly did not expect that we would be going to Mexico City so fast. It was not something that we lobbied the league for. When I looked at our schedule, I did not think that it would work out from a scheduling standpoint. I guess at the end of the day, the Chargers were willing to give up a home game down there, even though we’re a division team.”