Artificial Turf or Real Grass?

Sports stadiums with fixed or retractable roofs are a modern convenience. They have two main purposes: 1) to protect the field and audience from harsh weather; and 2) to keep attendance up at big sporting events during bad weather. So even if it’s snowing, a stadium with one of these roofs can still host the Big Game—everyone wins!

Like fixed and retractable roofs, artificial turf adds longevity to modern stadium fields. Brand new fixed roof stadiums like the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN incorporate artificial turf to provide year-round entertainment.

The combination of artificial turf and fixed/retractable roof stadiums is becoming more popular, and we think this is a trend that will continue into the future.

Artificial Turf is a Time-Tested Sports Surface

It’s been over 60 years since the first artificial turf surface debuted at the Houston Astrodome. Since then, synthetic field turf can be found on a significant number of professional sports stadiums, both with fixed/retractable roofs and without.

In the NFL, a good number of full-time stadiums have artificial turf and retractable or fixed roofs. Same goes for the MLB, with fields located in Florida, Texas, and other states using artificial field turf. These as well have fixed or retractable roofs to combat the uncooperative weather in these regions.

But even stadiums located in more temperate regions like California are using artificial field turf. The City of Champions Stadium, future home of the LA Rams, is located in Inglewood, CA and is expected to open in August 2019. And you guessed it—it will have both a closed roof and artificial field turf.

Look at it this way—the more stadiums that can hold big, crowd-drawing championship games during harsh weather, the better.

Fixed Roofs Offer Flexibility for Non-Sports Events

Another advantage of stadiums with fixed or retractable roofs is they can host other kinds of events. Stadiums are a major expense for the cities they are built in. Although retractable roofs ensure big sporting events can still have good turnouts, pairing it with artificial athletic turf means the stadium can remain in use year-round.

Concerts, conventions, and other events can be held by putting hard floor covers right on top of the field turf. A real grass turf would die with such a cover, which would limit the kinds of events—not to mention revenue—the stadium could bring in. A retractable roof and artificial turf surface maximizes the value of the investment.

Artificial Turf and Stadiums: A Growing Sports Standard

Artificial athletic turf is starting to see major use in the sports industry. Paired with a fixed or retractable roof, it offers players a reliable surface to play on that is unaffected by weather. And, of course, the fans benefit too.

Where will athletic field turf take the sports industry next? Keep an eye on our blog and you’ll be the first to know.