Associated Press2 minute read
The NFL is using a hybrid field for its two games in Frankfurt next month, a year after players complained of slipping on Munich’s natural turf.
The hybrid surface was installed last weekend at Deutsche Bank Park ahead of the November 5 match between Kansas City Chiefs And Miami Dolphins. THE New England Patriots will then play the Indianapolis Colts at the same stage a week later.
After the first-ever NFL regular season game in Germany, players and coaches from Tampa Bay Buccaneers And Seattle Seahawks complained from the surface of the Allianz Arena, home of Bundesliga soccer champion Bayern Munich. The game caused enough damage that the grass subsequently had to be replaced.
“It’s definitely something that we’re still reevaluating, the American colleagues are also reevaluating, and there was a request this year to have another field in there,” said Alexander Steinforth, general director of the NFL for Germany, to the Associated Press.
Hybrid surfaces are widely used in football stadiums in Europe. Systems vary, but fields are typically 90% or more natural grass with woven synthetic fibers for reinforcement. The Liverpool pitch installed at Anfield in 2022 is made up of 95% natural grass.
Playing surfaces have been a hot topic since Week 1 when Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in his beginnings with the New York Jets.
The NFL said it works with the host stadium “to ensure the playing field is in the best possible condition and complies with mandatory NFL practices.”
The league did not specifically cite the condition of the Allianz Arena surface for the switch from natural to hybrid grass at Deutsche Bank Park, home of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.
“We continue to review the best surfaces for teams to play on and work with our stadium partners – before and after events,” the NFL said in a statement. “In Frankfurt, the hybrid product will also reduce wear and tear on the playing surface, ensuring the quality of consecutive matches.”
After the Bucs beat the Seahawks 21-16 last season in Munich, Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin complained about flying 10 hours to play on a “terrible” field. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said it was “smooth” and “I wish the field was firmer.” Bucs coach Todd Bowles described the turf as “really slippery and short.”
The NFL declined to discuss details of the hybrid surface, including its cost.
Frankfurt had replaced its natural grass pitch every season due to wear and tear, but now hopes the hybrid pitch will last beyond next summer’s European Championship, a soccer tournament that Germany is hosting.
The new pitch will see its first action on Thursday when Eintracht Frankfurt host HJK Helsinki in a Europa Conference League soccer match.
Bayern Munich switched to a hybrid pitch at the Allianz Arena this summer.
