NFL unveils initiative to raise safety standards for all stadium surfaces
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As debate continues over playing surfaces in the NFL, the league has launched a plan aimed at bringing more consistency to all stadiums.
The newly developed standards will need to be met by 2028 and will be determined through laboratory and field testing, according to the NFL.
NFL field director Nick Pappas shared some details about plans to roll out the program.
Each team will be provided with “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the start of the 2026 season. Each new field will be required to meet these standards immediately, and all teams will have two years to meet these standards. Both grass and synthetic turf fields will be subject to new standards.
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The NFL logo is on the field at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on November 25, 2024. (Kirby Lee/magn Images)
Most artificial surfaces are replaced every two or three years, Pappas said. Natural areas may have a shorter lifespan and are often replaced several times in a single season.
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Pappas added that the fields will undergo extensive testing and be approved by a joint committee with the NFLPA.
“It’s kind of a red, yellow, green effect, where we’re trying to phase out areas that we identify as being less ideal than new areas coming into the industry,” he said.
The Las Vegas Raiders logo at center field at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Oct. 27, 2024. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“This is a big step for us. I think this is a great outcome of the work of the Joint Surfaces Committee; the deployment and development of devices that determine appropriate measurements and ultimately provide us with a way to prove the quality of spaces more than we have in the past.”
Pappas said the fields were tested using two main tools, in laboratories and in the field. One of them is called BEAST, a traction tester that mimics the movements of an NFL player. The other is called STRIKE Impact Tester, which helps determine the durability of each area.
The turf field for the preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on August 23, 2025. (Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images)
The league’s goal is to find pitches as consistent as possible in all 30 NFL stadiums and in every stadium throughout the season. Pappas said the “pillars” of a course are optimized playability, injury risk reduction and player feedback.
The NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields. The league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills said that despite players’ widespread preference for turf fields and complaints about surfaces such as MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play, there is “no statistically significant difference” in lower extremity injuries or concussions that can be attributed to the type of playing surface or a particular surface.
“Surface is just one cause of these lower extremity injuries,” Sills said. “There are a lot of other factors like player load, past history, fatigue, positional compatibility and worn cleats, so surfaces are one component, but it’s a complex equation.”
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The natural grass field for the upcoming Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, grows on a sod farm a few hours east of the Bay Area.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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