Raiders’ ridiculed field gets face-lift for Super Bowl
The NFL began preparing Allegiant Stadium this week for the Super Bowl, and the Raiders’ natural grass field is on the league’s to-do list.
Part of the monthlong process the NFL began Monday to have the stadium ready for the Feb. 11 game includes resodding the field.
“There will be a brand-new field,” said Sam Joffray, Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee CEO. “That’s customary. Regardless of the condition of the previous regular-season turf, they have to get into place the specific Super Bowl turf.”
The grass used for the game will be brought in from a farm in California and is a hybrid Bermuda variety.
That probably will be welcomed news by many, following the attention the condition of a portion of the field received during the Raiders’ regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos last Sunday.
Although the field itself appeared to be green and healthy, portions of the south end zone posted to social media showed signs of wear and tear.
Similarly to the Arizona Cardinals’ stadium in Glendale, Arizona, site of the 2023 Super Bowl, the Raiders’ field sits on a tray that is moved in and out of the stadium. The grass sits outside the majority of the time, allowing it to receive natural sunlight to promote growth, and is moved inside the stadium before games.
Last year’s field in Arizona became a controversial topic during the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Players said the surface was slippery, and many of them were shown losing their footing.
“If you look at the film, everybody was slipping on both sides, whether it was us or them,” Eagles linebacker Hassan Reddick said after the game.
According to reports, the field was over-watered before it was moved into State Farm Stadium and not given enough time to dry in the sunlight.
With the scrutiny the field conditions drew, the NFL wants to make sure it doesn’t happen again when the AFC and NFC teams meet in Las Vegas.
After the field is resodded, it will be tested numerous times until the day before the game.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X