As first reported by the New York Post, a new monofilament synthetic turf has been installed at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, though the franchises hope to one day switch to a natural grass surface at their shared venue.
“My hope is we can get to a day at some point in the future when we can have a grass field that we’re able to maintain with two different teams and all the other events we have,” Giants president and CEO John Mara said during the NFL owners meetings this week. “I think we can get there at some point.”
The previous surface, a slit film turf, had been criticized by players and coaches across the league in recent seasons after San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Kyle Fuller and others suffered season-ending ACL injuries while playing at MetLife Stadium.
“Everybody in this league should do everything they can to put the best surface out there,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said after the game last season. “Our league really is a player-driven league, and we want those guys to have the best of the best, especially surfaces to play on.”
MetLife becomes the third NFL stadium to switch to the monofilament turf this offseason, joining Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. The former had slit film turf while the latter moved away from a natural surface due to injury concerns and the challenge of growing grass in a “climate transition zone.”
Teams that still have slit film turf at their home stadiums include the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, while London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – which hosts NFL games annually – also uses the surface.
In addition to MetLife Stadium, the Giants have installed the turf at their practice facility in East Rutherford. It appears the Jets will continue to use the same slit film surface that MetLife Stadium previously had at their practice facility in Florham Park, meanwhile.
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