Artificial turf installation for a sports field construction project has become an increasingly common decision for many years. Although some teams swear by natural turf, others are strong fans of artificial turf as well. The reality is that artificial turf has many benefits, to the point that it is used on numerous famous field across the United States. Here are 10 famous sports fields across the country that have artificial turf fields.
- AT&T Stadium is located in Dallas, Texas and is home to the All-American professional football team, the Dallas Cowboys. This field has the highest seating capacity of any NFL stadium and yes, it is constructed with artificial turf. AT&T arguably has the most famous football stadium in the entire country. Construction on this stadium was just recently completed in 2009, with an array of modern features including artificial turf. The stadium is also adorned with a retractable roof system.
- Home to the Seattle Seahawks is the famous CenturyLink Field. Located in the heart of Seattle Washington, this stadium is another great example of a famous field with artificial turf. The cloudy skies, heavy rains, and snow can make it difficult to grow natural turf in this region. Weather conditions and the many other benefits of artificial turf made it a great option for this famous field. CenturyLink Field is another relatively new field that opened in 2002.
- Located in downtown Detroit, is Ford Field: a multi-purpose domed field that is also home to the Detroit Lions. Ford Field opened just a few months after CenturyLink Field in 2002. Aside from the use of artificial turf, a unique feature of this field is the fact that is was designed to incorporate a Hudson’s warehouse that was constructed in the 1920’s. This field indeed houses some interesting history of the old American car factory city.
- Five-time Super Bowl winning team, the New England Patriots, call Gillette Stadium home. This stadium is also equipped with an artificial turf field. If artificial turf is choice for this powerhouse athletic team, then it should be used on every athletic field in the United States. This stadium is another one of the many that opened its gates in 2002.
- An astounding stadium, the Mercedez-Benz Superdome is yet another famous sports stadium with artificial turf. When this field was originally constructed, natural grass was installed on the field, but a few years later the field was renovated and artificial turf was installed. Since 2006, the New Orleans Saints have been playing on the new turf that makes up the field of the Superdome.
- MetLife Stadium is home to two major NFL teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets. This stadium is one of the newest of the NFL stadiums and in true modern fashion, it was constructed with an artificial turf field installation. The stadium is actually located in East Rutherford, New Jersey and it was just opened in 2010.
- For the fans that rock orange and black stripes, Paul Brown Stadium also has artificial turf installed on its field. The Cincinnati Bengals call this outdoor stadium home. This stadium is so loved by the nation that is was once voted one of “America’s favorite 150 buildings and structures”. Paul Brown Stadium is located in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Up in the cold state of Minnesota, is the U.S. Bank Stadium. This massive indoor stadium is unlike any other NFL stadium, and yes, it has an artificial turf field. The Minnesota Vikings are proud to call this stadium, that is decked out in purple, home. This stadium is the newest on this list, only opening in 2016. The enclosure built for this field keeps fans warm during the hard Minnesota snow storms, and also would have made natural grass nearly impossible to maintain. A synthetic field was the best option for this northern sports field.
- The last football stadium on this list, NGR Stadium also has a synthetic field. NRG Stadium is located in Houston, Texas and is home to the NFL team, the Houston Texans. This massive stadium is considered an Astrodome and it has a whopping 4 concourse levels. The size of this stadium is not surprising, because as we know, everything’s bigger in Texas.
- Tropicana Field is the only baseball field on this list, but its spot is well deserved. Home to the Tampa Bay Rays, Tropicana is one of the few professional baseball fields with synthetic turf. The stadium is also a domed stadium located in Tampa, Florida. Recent talks about artificial turf for the MLB have been sparked, so don’t be surprised if you see fields converting to this turf option in the coming years.
There are many more famous fields that were designed with artificial field construction in mind, and more will likely be constructed throughout the years. Advances in turf technology make artificial turf installation a common choice for new stadiums, especially when retractable roof are becoming increasingly common. To learn more about artificial turf field construction, contact the professionals at Sports Turf One!