Mara says no NFL grass at MetLife just yet
ORLANDO, Fla. — A natural grass playing field is coming to MetLife Stadium for futbol two summers from now.
As for NFL football, New York Giants co-owner John Mara isn’t ready to sign off on that just yet.
“I want to get to the point where the experts can tell us that late in the season we can have a safe, playable grass field, and when we get to that point, then maybe we’ll make the switch,” Mara said at the NFL Annual Meeting on Monday afternoon.
“We’re not there yet.”
MetLife Stadium will be a host site for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, including the final, and one of the requirements is converting to a grass surface to be in compliance with FIFA regulations. That will also require further renovations of the stadium, including the removal of several sections of seating in the lower level to accommodate the installation of the new soccer field.
The 2026 World Cup tournament, which will play games in all three North American countries, will begin June 11 and commence in New Jersey on July 19 at MetLife.
Temporary seating — and the existing artificial surface installed at MetLife Stadium last year —will be used for NFL games involving the Giants and Jets before and up until the World Cup is completed.
MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result in part to complaints from players because of the old surface.
So why not a permanent move to grass, considering the NFL Players Association has been vocal in recent months about the players’ desire to switch to the natural surface in every league stadium?
This is a discussion interested parties continue to have, Mara said.
That group includes Mara and the Giants, owner Woody Johnson and the Jets, and the MetLife Stadium operating group.
“With the amount of events in our building, particularly during the football season, having two teams there, and how many times last year we had back-toback games where it rained during the first game, I can’t imagine what a grass field would’ve looked like on a second day,” Mara said.
As for the injury factor, Mara cited league-sourced data that indicated there were more ACL injuries on grass than on fields with artificial turf this past season. For example, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones tore his ACL on grass at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, not at home.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles at MetLife.
“There’s virtually no difference in lower leg injuries on grass and turf. That’s a fact. Last year, there were twice as many ACLs on grass as there was on turf,” Mara said. “Now, that’s one year worth of data, but, and this is research that is done and statistics that are kept in conjunction with the players’ association, so there’s no mystery about this . ... Players prefer playing on grass. There’s no question about it. I’d like to get there some day; we’re not there yet.”
“That type of grass (being installed for the World Cup) is not fit for football. It’s a completely different type of surface,” Mara said. “They’re more concerned with how the ball bounces as opposed to anything else. It’ll be a temporary grass field that goes down, and that’s great in June and July. No matter how many times you change it out, and we tried this back in ’99 to 2001 with the (natural grass field) trays and stuff, it was not a pretty sight in December and January. Again, I think we can get there some day. I just am not satisfied that we’re there yet.”