Tag: metlife stadium

John Mara, Woody Johnson regularly discuss installing grass field

The world learned this week that the 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium and that grass will be installed to meet the requirements of a FIFA venue.

MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface over the 14 years since it opened in 2010.

Now they will have to switch to a natural surface, an idea that has been bandied about between the owners of the Giants and Jets for quite some time now.

Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters covering the Super Bowl in Las Vegas this week that he and Giants owner John Mara discuss installing a grass field “at least once a week,” per NJ Advance Media.

Johnson added that grass could be a challenge, because the stadium hosts so many events — and because two NFL teams share the open-air venue until at least late December or early January, when the regular season ends. And everyone knows what New Jersey’s weather can be like then.

Grass is not optimal at MetLife, one of the most popular venues in North America because of both logistics and the expense.

As stated, the Northern New Jersey weather would literally put a damper on the effort, which is one of the reasons the teams opted for an artificial surface to begin with.

With two NFL teams playing on the surface — possibly on back-to-back days — and all of the other events that take place at the venue (soccer, college football, concerts, monster trucks, wrestling, etc.) it would be a severe challenge to care for a grass surface year-round.

A grass surface at MetLife full-time might end up being more unsafe than the current one they have in place.

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MetLife Stadium will install grass field for 2026 FIFA World Cup Final

MetLife Stadium, which will be the host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, has announced it will convert to a grass surface to be in compliance with FIFA requirements.

MetLife Stadium switched from UBU Speed S5-M to FieldTurf Core HD before the 2023 NFL season as a result of the rash of injuries incurred by players on the old surface.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, which will play games in all three North American countries, will begin on June 11 and commence in New Jersey on July 19 at MetLife.

The 16 host cities contain two in Canada, three in Mexico, and 11 in the United States: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey, Mexico City, Toronto, Boston, New York City (MetLife), Philadelphia, and Miami.

Eight of the 16 venues (including MetLife) have permanent artificial turf surfaces that will be replaced with grass under the direction of FIFA and research teams from the University of Tennessee and Michigan State.

For the first time, the tournament will feature 48 teams as opposed to the current 16 and the total number of games will increase from 64 to 104.

Once the World Cup concludes, the Giants and Jets are expected to return the artificial turn to MetLife Stadium.



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MetLife Stadium ranked worst venue in NFL by the players

MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, is regularly panned by fans for its boring aesthetics and overpriced concessions. It also faces heavy criticism from NFL players for its poor playing surface.

But where does MetLife Stadium rank another other venues around the league? As it turns out, dead last.

The Athletic recently polled active NFL players and MetLife Stadium received 18.4 percent of the last-place vote. The second-worst was FedEx Field, home of the Washington Commanders, with 13.9 percent of the vote.

Players also sounded off on the league’s worst venues to play in, with the New York Jets and Giants’ MetLife Stadium outranking the others (18.4 percent) in that category. The Washington Commanders’ FedEx Field (13.9 percent) and Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium (12.7 percent) were the other top vote-getters for the worst stadium to play in.

“Turf sucks and the whole place is lame,” one player said.

But it’s not just the stadium that opposing players hate, it’s Giants and Jets fans, too.

“Fans are horrible. Everything about that place is horrible,” another player said.

When MetLife Stadium opened in 2010, it was the most expensive stadium built in the United States at an approximate cost of $1.6 billion.

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MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants, ranked among NFL’s worst stadiums

The New York Giants and New York Jets call MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey home.

The venue is a far cry from the fading Giants Stadium that used to adorn the Meadowlands Sports Complex, one time known as The Swamp. But it also lacks the personality of its predecessor and provides almost no charm.

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In the eyes of Giants and Jets fans, MetLife Stadium is an overpriced lunchbox that’s as boring inside as it is outside.

To no surprise, NFL reporters for The Athletic recently ranked MetLife Stadium one of the worst venues in the NFL with 13 reporters listing it in the bottom-5 of the league.

25. MetLife Stadium

Teams: New York Giants, New York Jets

Seating capacity: 82,500

Google review: 4.5 stars

Despite it not being old, 13 ballots had it ranked as one of the five worst stadiums in the league.

“When MetLife was completed in 2010 it cost $1.6 billion,” Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt wrote. “The money was not particularly well spent. It’s a boring stadium — which is something universally agreed on by both Giants and Jets fans, a rarity — both in look and feel. The food is poor. And it’s always a disaster exiting the stadium, especially for fans — and that gets even worse after concerts. There’s a mall nearby but otherwise it’s not exactly an exciting area, especially as the home base for two teams that are supposed to represent New York City.”

The parking lot traffic entering the game, and particularly the traffic exiting the game (including public transport), is an absolute nightmare.

As The Athletic mentions, MetLife Stadium has also had its issues with food and that’s not including the free medium Pepsi offer that applied only to season ticket holders a few years ago.

Some would also argue that the fans themselves are an issue.

Due to PSLs, the rising cost of a gameday experience, and the aforementioned traffic/public transportation issues, a large portion of those in the stands are wealthy businessmen and businesswomen who got tickets through different corporations. Casual fans call them the “down in front” crew.

Luckily, some of those issues have been alleviated under the combination of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, who have the fans standing, cheering, and actively engaged again.

Still, there’s no denying that MetLife Stadium is a boring old lunchbox. Or microwave. Take your pick.

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New York Giants’ Brian Daboll jokes about new MetLife Stadium turf

The New York Giants played a game for the first time since MetLife Stadium replaced their controversial playing surface earlier this year.

Head coach Brian Daboll was asked after the game if he received any feedback from the players on the turf.

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“I didn’t,” he replied. “No, I didn’t.”

But Daboll had his own review to add.

“It’s fine. I’m just standing on it. I’m not running around and cutting and doing all those things. It’s a little softer on my lower back, which is always good,” he joked.

The previous surface was consistently panned by both the Giants and their co-tenants, the Jets, as well as many visiting teams. The amount of ‘soft tissue’ and joint injuries over the years made MetLife a house of horrors for players and coaches.

Over the past decade, the Giants were one of the most-injured teams in the NFL.

There were no reported injuries during the Giants’ 21-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.

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