In Buffalo and elsewhere, NFL players find grass to be the better choice over artificial turf
The Bills are learning how a new grass field performs, and league officials are moving toward standardized testing and certification for all surfaces.
- Buffalo Bills officials recently resodded Highmark Stadium after divots and worn areas became exposed following just two preseason games. Bills President Pete Guelli told The Associated Press, "If you're really putting your players first, there's no other choice but grass."
- With 92% of NFL Players Association members favoring grass, player safety concerns drive the shift toward natural surfaces. Allen noted his experience with artificial turf: "I've gotten numerous, numerous burns on my legs from artificial turf, to the point I can't sleep at night because it's bubbling over."
- Nick Pappas, the NFL director of field surfaces, personally inspected the Bills field after the preseason finale last month. "We were seeing grass that maybe didn't have the strength that everybody had hoped for and was pulling apart a little more than expected," Pappas said.
- The NFL and NFLPA jointly established standardized playing surface requirements for all 30 facilities by 2028, aiming to achieve consistency across surfaces. The objective removes emotional bias from material choices and prioritizes field performance metrics.
- Recent World Cup mandates forced seven of 11 NFL stadiums to temporarily switch to grass, catalyzing broader industry debate. Currently, 16 of 30 NFL facilities feature grass, reflecting growing momentum toward natural surfaces despite higher maintenance costs.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Bills’ new grass field will finally debut. How is it performing? ‘So much better’
Seventeen days before their new $2.2 billion stadium was to be seen by a global streaming audience, the Buffalo Bills' grounds crew tore out the natural grass field that was the centerpiece of the largest construction project in Western New York history. Buffalo Bills week one practice Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. (20) sends bits of grass flying as he does a drill during practice ...
For Josh Allen, the lawn has to be natural.
In Buffalo and elsewhere, NFL players find grass to be the better choice over artificial turf - Regional Media News
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - For Josh Allen, the grass is most definitely greener across the street. As the Buffalo Bills moved closer to their first regular-season game Thursday in their new Highmark Stadium, the quarterback looked forward to not having to deal with the [...]
Bills QB looking forward to playing on natural grass; says artificial turf left him with leg burns
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen says if he could snap his fingers and make every National Football League field convert to natural grass, he would. The Associated Press reports Allen is looking forward to playing all of his team’s home games this season at Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium, which has a natural grass surface. He said his days of playing on the team’s former artificial turf field left him with painful leg burns which made it dif…
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