Tag: MetLife Stadium

Giants owner not ready to sign off on all-grass surface for MetLife

Giants CEO John Mara on the possibility of MetLife switching to a grass field: “We’re not there yet.”

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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Giants’ John Mara, Jets’ Woody Johnson regularly discuss installing grass field

Jets owner Woody Johnson says he and New York Giants co-owner John Mara regularly discuss installing a grass field at MetLife Stadium.

The world learned this week that the 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium and that grass will be installed to meet the requirements of a FIFA venue.

MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 14 years since it opened in 2010.

Now they will have to switch to a natural surface, an idea that has been bandied about between the owners of the Giants and Jets for quite some time now.

Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters covering the Super Bowl in Las Vegas this week that he and Giants owner John Mara discuss installing a grass field “at least once a week,” per NJ Advance Media.

Johnson added that grass could be a challenge, because the stadium hosts so many events — and because two NFL teams share the open-air venue until at least late December or early January, when the regular season ends. And everyone knows what New Jersey’s weather can be like then.

Grass is not optimal at MetLife, one of the most popular venues in North America because of both logistics and the expense.

As stated, the Northern New Jersey weather would literally put a damper on the effort, which is one of the reasons the teams opted for an artificial surface to begin with.

With two NFL teams playing on the surface — possibly on back-to-back days — and all of the other events that take place at the venue (soccer, college football, concerts, monster trucks, wrestling, etc.) it would be a severe challenge to care for a grass surface year-round.

A grass surface at MetLife full-time might end up being more unsafe than the current one they have in place.

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MetLife Stadium will install grass field for 2026 FIFA World Cup Final

MetLife Stadium will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final and will install a temporary natural grass field in accordance with FIFA’s standards.

MetLife Stadium, which will be the host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, has announced it will convert to a grass surface to be in compliance with FIFA requirements.

MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, which will play games in all three North American countries, will begin on June 11 and commence in New Jersey on July 19 at MetLife.

The 16 host cities contain two in Canada, three in Mexico, and 11 in the United States: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Boston, New York City (MetLife), Philadelphia, and Miami.

Eight of the 16 venues (including MetLife) have permanent artificial turf surfaces that will be replaced with grass under the direction of FIFA and research teams from the University of Tennessee and Michigan State.

For the first time, the tournament will feature 48 teams as opposed to the current 16 and the total number of games will increase from 64 to 104.

Once the World Cup concludes, the Giants and Jets are expected to return the artificial turn to MetLife Stadium.

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MetLife Stadium to host 2026 FIFA World Cup final

MetLife Stadium will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, which also means natural grass will be coming, at least temporarily.

The center of the soccer world will be MetLife Stadium in the summer of 2026. The home of the Jets and the Giants was announced Sunday as the host venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on July 19, 2026.

In addition, MetLife will host five games during the Group Stage and also be a host in the Round of 32 and Round of 16 in the new, expanded Knockout Stage. The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams. The United States, Mexico and Canada all automatically qualify as co-hosts.

The 2026 World Cup begins June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico. The United States will play their three group matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Lumen Field in Seattle.

MetLife Stadium will put down natural grass and undergo renovations in preparation for hosting the World Cup. FIFA requires all stadiums to have natural grass. Whether the grass will stay remains to be seen, but new artificial turf was installed in 2023 and soccer has been played on temporary grass at MetLife previously.

Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert, S Jevon Holland call out MetLife Stadium turf after Jaelan Phillips’ injury

Dolphins call out Jets’ playing surface after the win.

In recent years, the turf vs. grass debate has been raging across the NFL with many players believing that the artificial playing surface leads to more injuries.

On Friday, the Miami Dolphins took on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, a venue that sports a turf field. During the contest, Miami lost linebacker Jaelan Phillips to a non-contact Achilles injury that could cost him the rest of the season and some of next year depending on the severity.

Following the battle, safety Jevon Holland was the first to call out the turf.

However, the safety wasn’t the only one to do so, as running back Raheem Mostert did the same.

With more and more star players going down, the league will eventually have to look into this issue more.

Until then, the Dolphins will just hope for the best news for Phillips.

Dolphins players slammed MetLife Stadium’s turf after Jaelan Phillips suffered Achilles injury

Dolphins players were not happy after another injury that occurred on MetLife Stadium’s artificial turf.

The Miami Dolphins got a crucial division win on the road on Black Friday, beating the New York Jets 34-13 to move to 8-3 on the season.

It wasn’t all good news for Mike McDaniels’ team, however. Star linebacker Jaelan Phillips had to be carted off the field during the game after suffering a non-contact Achilles injury.

It’s far from the first high-profile Achilles injury to occur at MetLife Stadium this season. Aaron Rodgers’ season came to an end in stunning fashion on the same field in prime time back in September on the opening drive of the year.

The usage of artificial turf at stadiums like MetLife has come under scrutiny this season due to injuries, and Dolphins players did not mince words when it came to their frustration after the game.

As far as Phillips’ health, McDaniel didn’t provide much of an update other than to say it didn’t look good.

Inadequate artificial turf conditions have been blamed for a spate of injuries this season, and following Phillips’, Dolphins players weren’t the only ones to make the connection as NFL fans also got in on the debate.

We’ll have to wait until the offseason to see if the NFL does anything to address the quality or usage of artificial turf, but it’s clear this is a narrative that is only going to continue.

 

Players around the NFL vote MetLife Stadium as the worst stadium to play in

In The Athletic’s first anonymous player poll, players voted MetLife Stadium as the worst stadium to play in.

Players around the league prefer to play at certain stadiums more than others, but not many of them are fond of playing at MetLife Stadium. For the first time, The Athletic held an anonymous player poll, and MetLife Stadium — which is where the New York Jets and the New York Giants both play — was voted as the worst stadium to play at in the NFL.

Of the 79 players who responded, 18.4 percent of them said that MetLife Stadium was the worst stadium to play in. The next closest stadium in terms of being an unpleasant experience for players was FedEx Field at 13.9 percent of the votes.

Before the 2023 season, there were changes made to the turf that was being used at MetLife Stadium due to the alarming number of injuries occurring. Despite that being the case, Garrett Wilson expressed his disdain for the turf at MetLife Stadium earlier this season.

With players across the league voicing their frustration about the turf at MetLife Stadium and other venues, 82.7 percent of the 81 players who responded believe the turf versus grass debate is a real concern. The majority of players believe that playing on grass is much better than playing on turf fields.

Until there’s a drastic change to the playing surface, it’s tough to believe that MetLife Stadium won’t remain most players’ least-favorite stadium to play in.

MetLife Stadium ranked worst venue in NFL by the players

NFL players have ranked MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and some other team, as the worst venue in the league.

MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, is regularly panned by fans for its boring aesthetics and overpriced concessions. It also faces heavy criticism from NFL players for its poor playing surface.

But where does MetLife Stadium rank another other venues around the league? As it turns out, dead last.

The Athletic recently polled active NFL players and MetLife Stadium received 18.4 percent of the last-place vote. The second-worst was FedEx Field, home of the Washington Commanders, with 13.9 percent of the vote.

Players also sounded off on the league’s worst venues to play in, with the New York Jets and Giants’ MetLife Stadium outranking the others (18.4 percent) in that category. The Washington Commanders’ FedEx Field (13.9 percent) and Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium (12.7 percent) were the other top vote-getters for the worst stadium to play in.

“Turf sucks and the whole place is lame,” one player said.

But it’s not just the stadium that opposing players hate, it’s Giants and Jets fans, too.

“Fans are horrible. Everything about that place is horrible,” another player said.

When MetLife Stadium opened in 2010, it was the most expensive stadium built in the United States at an approximate cost of $1.6 billion.

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Best photos from Chargers’ win over Jets in Week 9

Here are some of the best photos from MetLife Stadium on Monday.

The Chargers defeated the Jets in Week 9 by the score of 27-6.

To relive the game, here are some of the best photos from MetLife Stadium.

Garrett Wilson calls MetLife Stadium turf ‘garbage’

Garrett Wilson calls MetLife Stadium turf ‘garbage’

Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson gave fans a brief moment of anxiety when he had went into the medical tent on the sideline for an apparent lower leg injury during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fortunately, Wilson was okay and returned to the game. He finished with eight catches for 90 yards to help the Jets stun the previously undefeated Eagles and help the 1972 Miami Dolphins pop the champagne once again as the last team to go from start to finish, including the Super Bowl, without a loss.

Wilson is fine, but he certainly doesn’t think that about the turf at MetLife Stadium.

“It’s garbage, man,” Wilson said of the turf after the game, via Bridget Hyland of NJ.com.

“You’re out there running and all of a sudden your legs aren’t in the same place your head is at. And it’s kind of like, what’s the difference between the week, and now? You look down, and you see the turf.”

The turf, which was just replaced this offseason, has been heavily criticized all season, escalating in Week 1 after the turf was a factor in the season-ending Achilles tear for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Wilson is ok, as he discussed after the game.

“I have a pretty good gage on myself, when it’s ‘You can’t play through this,’ or, ‘Lets’ go get it looked at and let’s get back out there.” he said. “I didn’t have any injury today that resulted in me being like, ‘Oh, I might not be able to come back.’ Any time I take the field and leave the field with that, it’s a blessing from above.”

The Jets’ next two games are at MetLife, one as the visiting team. They are the designated away team for their Week 8 game against the New York Giants before a Monday night affair against the Los Angeles Chargers.