SoFi world cup field

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.
PhillyRam said:
Watching the USA team on Fox, so is that a grass field? If so, why can't they do that for the NFL?
Click to expand...
A couple of caveats on the new World Cup field:

(1) They only need this thing to last 8 matches for about 60 days, which is shorter than an NFL season;
(2) We don't know what this field is going to be like near the end of the 60 days; and
(3) During that 60 days, the field will be getting "around the clock" maintenance and care.
Source:


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bsrAoioBl9E


All that being said, I've cited Forsyth Barr as an example of the feasibility of growing natural grass under an ETFE roof.

iu
 
  • Like
Reactions: JonRam99
If I understand this... FIFA will play 8 matches over roughly 4-5 weeks, at SOFI..

Whereas, an NFL regular season will host about 8 games, over 4 months. Seems to me that the grow lights and grounds crew have more time during an NFL season for repair. As well, on average you'd get 2 weeks between games...

I would think the benefits of grass outweigh the risks of using turf... But, I'm no gardener and didn't stay at Holiday Inn this week either....
 
It could have something to do with the amount of abuse an NFL field takes. I'm guessing it would be extremely difficult to keep it in playing shape. They'd likely have to completely replace the middle of the field after each game and I'm not sure you ever would get it to root properly. I know they have replaced sod before games before but if I recall right, it was kind of a mess and tended to come up in chunks. They had to use a special sod that had an extremely thick base as it was. It may be possible but I'm guessing the modifications would be crazy as would the maintenance requirements. Apparently, with the one in New Zealand, they had to have very low seat sections to allow for sufficient sunlight. And again, it is for soccer. That's a completely different animal. Could it be done? Probably. Is it feasible for the NFL in that stadium? Unlikely.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RamFanWA and Ram65
RamFanWA said:
If I understand this... FIFA will play 8 matches over roughly 4-5 weeks, at SOFI..

Whereas, an NFL regular season will host about 8 games, over 4 months. Seems to me that the grow lights and grounds crew have more time during an NFL season for repair. As well, on average you'd get 2 weeks between games...

I would think the benefits of grass outweigh the risks of using turf... But, I'm no gardener and didn't stay at Holiday Inn this week either....
Click to expand...
Yeah, and add in our renters and you are looking at about 20 games a year, including pre-season, at Sofi.
 
  • 3Like
Reactions: RamFanWA, JonRam99 and dang
Yeah two NFL teams. Also this "grass" isn't a full on grass it's a mesh of grass and "woven fabrics".

The engineers reportedly have done good work on the drainage for this which remains the biggest issue for the Rams moving SoFi in the future to a grass surface though. I don't know that they could host 2 games in a week like they have in the past and other events will not happen during the NFL season. Maybe they move forward with grass if this kind of experimental turf holds up. Early tests weren't great in pre World Cup matches though.
 
There are a lot of parts to having a grass field for the NFL playing surface in SOFI. Sunlight, root bed, water system, etc.. I imagine Stan K would have looked at all the possibilities very early on in the design process. A bad/poor grass surface could be riskier than a synthetic surface. For kicks and giggles, it will be interesting to see how the grass holds up during the Soccer matches.
 
I'm of the mind that Stan should find a way to go with grass for his NFL team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ram65
I didn't play the video in this thread before my other post. What a process to move to grass. It's cool how they can expand the pitch to fit the requirements. The grass looks amazing. Cost per square foot or meter?


AI Overview

Installing natural grass over the artificial turf at SoFi Stadium for the 2026 World Cup cost millions of dollars. Because a typical all-in stadium turf-to-grass conversion runs about $1,000,000, the extensive pitch-widening, underground ventilation, and hybrid grass system resulted in a multimillion-dollar price tag, amounting to tens of dollars per square foot.
Instagram +4
The conversion of the Los Angeles stadium required a highly engineered, multi-layered "Permavoid" system to be installed directly over the existing artificial turf to provide oxygen, drainage, and support. Here are the primary cost factors:
edhat +1
  • The Total Project: The multimillion-dollar costs of the SoFi changeover were funded by the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee.
  • Square Footage: Crews laid down approximately 74,000 square feet (about 6,870 square meters) of specially cultivated hybrid grass.
  • Field Expansion: To meet FIFA’s mandated field dimensions, over 400 corner seats were removed to physically widen the pitch, significantly increasing the structural renovation costs.
    LawnStarter +4
 
I believe this was researched to death during the construction of SoFi and the determination was that there really wasn't a significant increase in injuries with the turf they decided to use. I think there was also something said about how it is installed. I'm not going to go back through all that but I'm going to guess that it is a fools errand to even suggest that our Rams are going to be playing on "natural" grass in SoFi any time in the near or distant future.
 
  • Like
  • High Five
Reactions: Ground Chuck, Ram65 and OldSchool
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back