A funny thing happened amid all the talk about "Field Turf" for next year. The Giants and Jets suddenly prospered on the "temporary" replacement grass turf that replaced the tray system. With great late season surges for both teams, I have to think that both the Giants and Jets will want to keep the "temporary" replacement.
The new trays of grass installed at Giants Stadium recently are already torn up. The surface looked terrible on TV in both games. They'll switch to FieldTurf. http://www.app.com/app2001/story/0,21133,637162,00.html
I have no problem with the field turf as long as the gridiron lines aren't premanant...St. John's uses the stuff and it seems to work well for them
It seems like there's a 0% chance of real grass on the field for the start of the '03 NFL season. The key questions are: -- What's the timetable for the switch, and -- Will Metro start their season on what is in effect a lame-duck grass field that will get zero care from the stadium crew?
my guess is if they are seroius about switching, they'd do it as soon as after the NFL playoffs are done, and since when has the stadium crew ever cared for the field in the summer!?!?!?
With only 3 months left before the opening kick-off and no announcement yet made on any plans to replace the playing surface, it seems like another season of playing on yellow grass with craters on it. Doubt they'll have the FieldTurf (or any other turf) in place until just before the NFL preseason games begin in August.
With the slew of Int'l games coming to Giants Stadium in '03, I think they'll definitely be putting in the turf earlier rather than later. It'll be there when the Metro season starts.
--------------------------------------------- AstroPlay (5-1): Colleges including Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, and Illinois use it, as do European soccer powers Real Madrid, Manchester United and Boca Juniors. ---------------------------------------------- So ManU uses AstroPlay at Old Trafford? Seen a few games on FSW and it looked and acted like real turf. That's something else.
ManU has AstroPlay on their practice fields only, as does Real Madrid. http://www.astroplay.com/manchester.htm http://www.astroplay.com/real_madrid.htm If you want to see FieldTurf in action, go out to the Met Oval.
I've playe soccer on fake grass before (I think it was astroterf also). It isn't all that bad. It can be hard on the ankles but I adapted fine to it. I'd rather have astroterf on softer ground than the rock-hard half-dead grass field that I get stuck on in AZ (hard on ankles, pounds the shins, and less traction).
Oh yeah Spartan Stadium was the first (and only) high-level stadium field I've been on with cleats. If the artificial terfs to as well as that I wouldn't care. if it was real grass or not. Most of the practice fields in LA are average.
That FieldTurf/AstroPlay quasi-real yet still fake grass is the playing surface for Franklin Field in Philly. I think they use it at whatever stadium the Houston Texans call home too. Stuff looks like it holds up well on TV. So long as they wait for NFL season to put the gridlines down.
I've playe soccer on astroterf as well. It's ok. But if you are a skilled player like Chungy who has to play on astroterf, that can be dangerous. Good thing Chungy doesn't play at Giants Stadium anymore. But he does have to come there at least once a year. I do worry for him. Maybe he can sit that game out.
During this NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys switched from turf to RealGrass (considered to be the best of the fake stuff), and it took them about a week to rip out the old stuff and lay down the new stuff.
Anything would be an improvement over what we have going on now. The Metrostars would do better playing in the parking lot than on the GS surface...
I don't think the field itself would be a problem, but the way they will mark the field. They should install FieldTurf, put soccer lines in, and put the Football markings until needed in August.