While NFL players watch some of their stadiums get new grass fields installed for upcoming FIFA World Cup games, it only reinforces their desire to move away from turf.
Fifteen of the 30 NFL stadiums use some sort of artificial turf for American football games. Players have become more vocal in recent years about their desire to play on grass.
"What we want is good grass fields. Good, solid fields," NFLPA executive director JC Tretter said recently on the "Not Just Football" podcast hosted by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. "You don't just want to pull out the [municipal] golf course grass. On every field, you want high quality surfaces. I think one thing is understanding what our players care about. And there is something there that the data hasn't been able to spit back out at us. Which if you ask every player that we polled, 1,700 players, 92% say they want grass over turf.
"There is something about the feeling of being on grass the body feels different. I think if you ask the coaches, just standing on grass vs. standing on turf for three hours, feels different. There is something there that impacts the body."
Tretter said the talking point is that the injury rates on turf vs. grass have become marginal. But he added that if you look deeper into the numbers, turf injuries have held relatively steady. Grass injury rates have gotten worse.
So it's not just the idea of NFL stadiums having grass instead of turf. Tretter said he wants quality grass fields that reach certain unspecified standards.
"I think it's important for us to have metrics to enforce them, making sure the stadiums are being used predominantly for football games, especially when having concerts and monster truck rallies, those are all things owners make money off. The players don't make money off it," he said. "The idea that, hey, we're going to host these events that means we have to put a worse surface on there for you and you don't actually get any of that money for those events we're hosting isn't a great thing for the players either. And that is what we have to evaluate for the next deal."
The current CBA runs through 2030.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed late last year to a new model for selecting playing surfaces in stadiums, one that will require teams to choose from an approved set of metrics and styles for both natural and synthetic fields. The policy will apply to any teams that plan to replace their surfaces for the 2026 season. By the 2028 season, all stadiums will be required to have approved fields.
FIFA uses only grass fields for the World Cup. MetLife Stadium, AT&T Field, Gillette Stadium, Lumen Field, NRG Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Mercedes Benz all use some sort of artificial turf for NFL games but will have natural grass for the matches this summer.
The installation process began in recent weeks, with the tournament expected to commence on June 11. The United States opens June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.
"You look at FIFA, they're rolling out the green carpet for soccer players. And that has become the norm," Tretter said. "Over in European leagues, that is what you do. You play on grass. They have surface standards that each thing is rolled out. It's exactly how it's supposed to be. And those players will not play if it's not that."
