FYI re: Playing Surface in 2003

Look on the bright side, maybe this will hasten the Metros' departure from GS. Maybe it will force Phil Anshutz or Tim Liewicke or Nick Sackewicz or whoever to work with a little more urgency to solve the Metros' stadium problem.

To me, the real issue is what type of surface will Man U be playing on next July when they play Juve at the Meadowlands. It's no secret that Zoffinger wants to make big international friendlies a regular thing at the Meadowlands. I doubt that will happen if the only surface available is an artificial one with football lines. Will he hold off on installing artificial turf until after the Man U - Juve match, or will he buy two different rugs, one with football lines and the other with soccer lines?

 

Will this be the same type of surface that the Fire are playing on now in Naperville?

 

good too see the Metros have a say in this..... after all, they did pay for the grass the first two years

 

umm, they meant the jets and the giants as the two teams...so the metros are pretty much screwed unfortunately.

 

Good too see that Dallas hasn't lost its sense of sarcasm.

 

that idea about the two rugs is possible, the field the Cowboys use was first used in their training camp in San Antonio's Alamo Dome. they rolled it up (in sections) and brought it to Dallas (why it wasn't in the first week I don't know).

 

Saw a blip on the news yesterday about new sod being placed in GS. It should make for an ugly Jet game and more decisions about the spring.

 

Since the installed a new sod field for the Jets home playoff, why not leave that field in place for the Metros season. The Jets will most likely only have one home playoff game, so the field won't be that damaged. So leave the sod field in place to late August when the NFL pre-season begins. Afterall any grass field(even a bad one) is better than any kind of astro-turf.

 

What I want to know is, do they even take CARE of the grass? To me it looks as if it's not treated at all. It was the second quarter of the Jets/Packers game and there we holes everywhere. I know the Giants also played at the Swamp that week, but giving the turf all little trimming won't hurt.

 

As I failed golfer, I took solace at the sight of all those divots during the recent NFL games.

 

Yes sir. It's the same surface. But I have a better idea. Allow the MetroStarts to play on regular grass until september or the end of the playoffs, then install the new artificial turf after the Metros are done.

 

Re: Re: FYI re: Playing Surface in 2003

Good gawd. It will NOT be what Naperville has. It will either be FieldTurf or the one the Cowboys have. Both are infinitely better than the garbage in Naperville. How many threads on the good, new surfaces like FieldTurf have to be posted here before people catch a clue? Many top euro-teams train on it daily, and it may be making inroads into actual stadiums in top euro-leages soon.

http://www.fieldturf.com

 

Re: Re: Re: FYI re: Playing Surface in 2003

isn't the Amsterdam ArenA seriously thinking(like 99.9%) about putting it in next season?

 

NFL players, when given the choice between bad grass and any kind of artificial surface, prefer grass. Only kickers prefer the artificial surfaces. Hopefully if the Metros have to pay for the installation of grass during soccer season, they can get a reduction in their rent. Probably not.

As for the field now, I'll bet they use sand for more cushion. Why? Because they never removed the old field. You've been to a beach right? You may have noticed that not much grows in sand. The only grass field that hasn't had any problems is Gillette Stadium. Two reasons. First, the Patriots own the place. They dictate what goes on in the stadium and when. Heinz Field had four (4) high school football games in one day, three days before a Steeler game. What the hell did they expect? Second, the ground's crew at Gillette does it properly. You'll notice that the field isn't very green. The reason being that they aerate and trim the field constantly, keeping most of the nutrients in the roots. At other stadiums, the teams want lush, green, golf course-type fields. But when the grass is that green, it means that the nutrients are in the blades themselves, making it very weak.

Ultimately, let's try to remember that it's Winter and grass doesn't grow naturally in northern climates at this time of year. More over, it's important to remember that grass is a living organism. If you abuse it, it will die. The answer at Giants Stadium is simple. One of the three tennants (preferably the Jets) has to leave. Football is far more destructive to the field than soccer. Even if the Metros leave, it would still mean two football teams kicking the crap out of the field in Fall and Winter.

 

You are an expert in both natural/artificial turf. You made a very good point and indeed convinced me. I hope you be part of the negotiation between the Giants, Jets and MetroStars

 

Except for the fact he's dead wrong. As a matter of fact, the players in Seattle preferred FieldTurf over grass. There have been numerous players from opposing teams who have expressed the same opinion after playing at Seahawks Stadium. BTW, not one of the numerous quotes was from a kicker. Please get informed on what FieldTurf is, and isn't. There's a complete installation report at the FieldTurf site.

http://www.fieldturf.com

 

Here's a timely piece:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-day033072378jan03.story

For what it's worth, this article implies that kickers and "speed players" in particular will prefer artificial turf.

It seems like a done deal that there will be some type of artificial turf at GS next year; as I said earlier, the real question in my mind is when will it be installed? In August, just before the NFL and college football season, or in March, just before the MLS/concert season? If in August, the Metros get another half season on natural grass. If in March, they play the whole year on the artificial stuff -- will it have football lines painted on it?

 

I *think* only FieldTurf is apporved by FIFA. Since the Gold Cup is a tournament recognized by FIFA, only grass and FieldTurf could be used for those matches. I think it is a good bet we will have a grass field through June.

 

But if they can use FieldTurf, I doubt they'll use grass for the Gold Cup since FIFA approves of FieldTurf.

What kinda of boots will you need to use for this kinda of field? Regular cleats or indoor shoes? I can see them using regular cleats, but won't the spuds damage the grass blades? And since it's plastic, it won't grow back.

 

Just to be a wee bit skeptical, you're basing your opinion on how great FieldTurf is on information received from FielfTurf's website? Can you see the problem with this?

 

I guess you didnt see the potholes in several of the Giants/jets games, or the ones during the Roma/Real match. It was HORRENDOUS. I believe that one of the QB's even said he'd rather play on turf than those abominable grass conditions.

Not a chance in hell.

Wrong. The field was horrible even before the football season started. The biggest reason why grass didnt work in Giants Stadium is because they didnt take care of it for shi&.

 

international teams are not going to want to play on the fake stuff; artificial, field turf, whatever the hell else is out there and approved by fifa or not...my guess is that if the grass is replaced before the friendly with the fake stuff you will see them cart in grass specifically for the match between manu/juve and then remove it once the friendly is over...

we have the field turf stuff on an indoor field that we play futsal on and we all wear indoor shoes and get along just fine...i thought about getting turf shoes but have not had a problem with my indoor's...and you are correct, cleats would rip apart the stuff we are using big time so they are not allowed...

 

Well, since alot of the big teams are already replacing their practice pitches with the stuff, I dont think they'd mind too much.

 

that and one important thing:

$$$$$