Earlier this year, we learned that MetLife Stadium would host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final and that a grass field would be installed to meet FIFA standards.
So, if that’s the case, why can’t the New York Giants and New York Jets — who play their home games at MetLife — play on grass, too?
“We’re not there yet,” Giants CEO John Mara told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, on Monday when asked about changing the surface to grass.
“I want to get to the point where the experts can tell us that late in the season we can have a safe, playable grass field, and when we get to that point, then maybe we’ll make the switch.”
Another reason is the teams just invested in a new, more player-friendly artificial surface (FieldTurf Core HD) before the 2023 season.
MetLife switched from UBU Speed S5-M as a result of the unusually high number of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 13 years since it opened in 2010.
At the Super Bowl, Jets owner Woody Johnson said that he and Mara spoke “once a week” about switching to an all-grass field but the logistics and other feasibility factors, such as weather, were not in their favor.
MetLife Stadium is a year-round venue that hosts large events ranging from sporting events to world-class concerts and entertainment. Maintaining a grass field would be challenging with all of that use.
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