US EditionNFL mandates playing surfaces for all stadiums meet new standards by 2028 to enhance player safety
NFL mandates all 30 stadiums install tested playing surfaces by 2028 to reduce injury risk and improve consistency, with options including grass, synthetic, or hybrid fields.
- The NFL announced all 30 stadiums must install tested playing surfaces by 2028, with teams having two years to complete the upgrades.
- Amid years of criticism, the NFL moved to address injury concerns as artificial turf faced scrutiny in recent years, with complaints about MetLife Stadium and Northwest Stadium, while Dr. Allen Sills said there are no `statistically significant differences` in injuries by surface type.
- NFL field director Nick Pappas said testing showed that fields were evaluated using the BEAST traction tester and STRIKE Impact Tester, with monitored grass grown at a sod farm over the past 18 months.
- Under the plan, the league will phase out less ideal fields using a red-yellow-green system, and teams will have two years to install approved grass, synthetic or hybrid surfaces starting around the third week in January.
- Officials say the testing moves evaluation toward biophysical surface properties instead of crude labels and compares to new helmet standards, while cautioning injuries also reflect player load, fatigue and cleats.
82 Articles
82 Articles
NFL cites player safety in plan to bring every stadium’s playing surface up to enhanced standards
New NFL rules will require every playing surface at stadiums to meet enhanced, lab-tested standards by 2028. The league cited efforts to improve consistency and player safety.
NFL to adopt new field standards amid criticism over both artificial and natural surfaces
Years of criticism over the field quality at National Football League stadiums, including those that have both natural and artificial turf surfaces, may be sorted out by the start of the 2028 season. Yahoo! Sports reports the league will be introducing new enhanced standards for its fields for which each team will be given a list of approved and accredited fields before next season begins. Artificial turf fields have come under fire in recent ye…
Associated Press News
NFL mandates new playing surfaces for all stadiums by 2028 to enhance player safety
The NFL plans to upgrade playing surfaces in all stadiums by 2028 to meet new standards. NFL field director Nick Pappas announced Thursday that teams will receive a list of approved fields before next season.
NFL cites player safety in plan to bring every stadium’s playing surface up to enhanced standards – Mnnofa
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! As the debate over NFL playing surfaces continues, the league introduced a plan that aims to bring more consistency to all stadiums. The new enhanced standards will have to be met by 2028, according to the NFL, and will be set through lab and field testing. Nick Pappas, an NFL field director, shared some details about the plans for the program rollout. Each team will be provided with “a library of appr…
The NFL finally admits field surfaces are a problem, announces league-wide overhaul by 2028
After years of players calling out dangerous turf, after MetLife became a punchline, after teams magically found the money to grow real grass the moment the World Cup showed up, the NFL is finally doing something that probably should have happened decades ago. The league is implementing new, league-wide field standards and forcing all 30 stadiums to install an approved playing surface by the start of the 2028 season. Yes, the richest sports leag…
Each NFL stadium will have to install a new surface before the 2028 season to meet the standards set through laboratory and field testing.
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