NFL Is Finally Making Teams Change Their Fields

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

NFL stadiums will need to roll out new playing surfaces across the board to meet specific standards, with a deadline of 2028 set. 

The league expects all turf to meet requirements set by lab and field testing by the beginning of said year. 

NFL field director Nick Pappas outlined plans on Thursday, noting that franchises will be presented “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the start of the 2026 season. They will then be given a period of two years to install approved playing surfaces, which can be either grass or synthetic. 

All NFL turf will undergo extensive testing and will require approval from a joint committee with the NFLPA, similarly to what’s undertaken for helmets. 

“It’s sort of a red, yellow, green effect, where we’re obviously trying to phase out fields that we have determined to be less ideal than newer fields coming into the industry,” Pappas explained, per the league’s official website.

He added:

“This is a big step for us. This is something that I think has been a great outcome from the Joint Service Committee of the work, the deployment and development of devices determining the appropriate metrics, and ultimately providing us with a way to substantiate the quality of fields more so than we ever have in the past.”

NFL Stadiums To Be Consistent By 2028

The NFL is poised for significant changes, as it always is. Commissioner Roger Goodell recently confirmed that changes are being considered regarding the league’s holiday schedule.

Meanwhile, Pappas has also revealed how playing surfaces will be tested, noting that they will undergo procedures using two primary tools. One of them is a traction testing device called the BEAST, which mimics the movement of an NFL player. 

The other is called the STRIKE Impact Tester, which helps determine how firm a field is. The NFL is keen on ensuring that fields are as consistent as possible across all stadiums, one of which is due to a surprising name change. 

While there has long been concern over the implementation of artificial turf, especially given the nature of certain injuries, the league will not demand grass fields. 

NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills insists that there are no “statistically significant differences” when it comes to lower extremity injuries based on playing surfaces.