Against the backdrop of frequent injuries on artificial turf, teams must now meet minimum standards regarding the quality of playing surfaces in their stadiums.

Starting next season, NFL teams must ensure that their turf meets certain minimum requirements.

This is the result of an agreement between the league and the NFLPA players’ union. According to the agreement, all stadiums must have officially tested and approved playing surfaces by 2028 at the latest.

“We want to ensure that every playing surface in our league meets the standards we believe are appropriate, which are, of course, constantly evolving,” said Nick Pappas, the NFL’s Field Director.

NFLPA prefers natural grass in stadiums

The players’ union stated that its members would prefer natural grass in stadiums. However, it is confident that a uniform minimum standard for the quality of playing surfaces is a step in the right direction.

The background to the agreements now reached is the large number of injuries that have occurred in recent years, especially on artificial turf.

The turf at MetLife Stadium in New York has proven to be particularly problematic. But other stadiums have also seen a number of cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon injuries recently: in Detroit, Charlotte, and Cleveland. All of these arenas play on artificial turf.