duma Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 http://tampasportsauthority.com/news/1_tsa_announcements/tsa-field-crew-member-to-represent-tampa-in-super-bowl-xlv/Tampa, FL?December 17, 2010?The NFL Super Bowl Field Director has selected Tampa native Wayne Ward to join the field crew in Dallas as they prepare the grass surface for this year?s Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium. Ward, 40, and a graduate of Leto High School, has worked for the Tampa Sports Authority as a grounds crew assistant on the fields at Tampa Stadium and Raymond James Stadium for 19 years including three Super Bowls, XXV, XXXV and XLIII. During that time, Tampa?s playing surface has been consistently ranked at the top of the NFL fields according to an NFL Players Association survey of the players. Ward will spend two weeks in Dallas with the NFL grounds crew beginning January 10th.?Wayne is a skilled, talented, diligent worker who truly cares about what he is doing and the quality of work he delivers,? said Ed Mangan, Super Bowl Field Director for the NFL. Mangan noted that Ward?s experience and skills in grooming fields in a tight time frame was particularly important in his selection for the assignment. Ward also worked the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV last year at Dolphins Stadium, adding to the confidence Mangan has in Ward?s work experience. Eric Hart, executive director of Tampa Sports Authority, managers of Raymond James Stadium, stated that ?Wayne?s dedication to detail and his in-depth knowledge of the care and maintenance of playing surfaces makes him a natural choice for the turf duties in Dallas.? Cowboys Stadium will host the Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011. Mangan has been the Super Bowl Field Director for the NFL for 11 years and has worked on 22 Super Bowls including working with Ward at Tampa?s last two Super Bowls.very interesting to say the least... was searching around for the field art and came across this article. will definitely effect the outcome of the game. everyone expects GB to do well on the artificial fast track but now that is not the case since it will be brand new grass, which will undoubtedly cause footing/slipping issues during the game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTank Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Sweet Football as it should be played. www.sportsecyclopedia.com For the best in sports history go to the Sports E-Cyclopedia at http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruColor Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Waitaminute...could someone explain to me how Cowboys Stadium could handle a grass field? Let alone one that will be put in on top of a concrete floor in two weeks (or so).I'm not sure that the article quoted above is referring to actual grass, or just maintaining and painting the existing artificial turf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfwabel Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Waitaminute...could someone explain to me how Cowboys Stadium could handle a grass field? Let alone one that will be put in on top of a concrete floor in two weeks (or so).I'm not sure that the article quoted above is referring to actual grass, or just maintaining and painting the existing artificial turf.It isn't. We would have been told how they would build a platform for this:Since that press release came out in December, it would have been much bigger news then. Now, both the campuses of TCU (Steelers practice facility) and SMU (NFC) both have grass fields. The NFL professionals go onto the campuses and prepare those fields and fan areas for next week. The NFL even has a partnership with Toro, who provides all equipment. Even a Toro corporate press release dated two weeks after the TSA one does not say the game is to be played on grass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothieX Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Something doesn't ring true about this.I gotta think they're referring to either the practice fields or the outdoor lawn seating to watch the game on the video boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fufkin Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Waitaminute...could someone explain to me how Cowboys Stadium could handle a grass field? Let alone one that will be put in on top of a concrete floor in two weeks (or so).I'm not sure that the article quoted above is referring to actual grass, or just maintaining and painting the existing artificial turf.They put in grass when it first opened for the Chelsea/Club America soccer match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruColor Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Waitaminute...could someone explain to me how Cowboys Stadium could handle a grass field? Let alone one that will be put in on top of a concrete floor in two weeks (or so).I'm not sure that the article quoted above is referring to actual grass, or just maintaining and painting the existing artificial turf.They put in grass when it first opened for the Chelsea/Club America soccer match.So - maybe they're putting in a palette system like they do in Reliant Stadium then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illwauk Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 They had a grass field for the World Cup games at the Silverdome in 1994, so it's possible.That said, I don't know why anyone would think grass would be a disadvantage for the Packers... what is Lambeau Field? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fufkin Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Waitaminute...could someone explain to me how Cowboys Stadium could handle a grass field? Let alone one that will be put in on top of a concrete floor in two weeks (or so).I'm not sure that the article quoted above is referring to actual grass, or just maintaining and painting the existing artificial turf.They put in grass when it first opened for the Chelsea/Club America soccer match.So - maybe they're putting in a palette system like they do in Reliant Stadium then.Based on this article, where they discuss the grass soccer field, the field for the Super Bowl will be artificial.My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 From that article:===But they don't plan to have a parade of grass fields. For instance, Hill said the 2011 Super Bowl will be played on the artificial surface, called RealGrass Matrix turf.===Seems pretty clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfwabel Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Waitaminute...could someone explain to me how Cowboys Stadium could handle a grass field? Let alone one that will be put in on top of a concrete floor in two weeks (or so).I'm not sure that the article quoted above is referring to actual grass, or just maintaining and painting the existing artificial turf.They put in grass when it first opened for the Chelsea/Club America soccer match.So - maybe they're putting in a palette system like they do in Reliant Stadium then.Having a grass pitch was a contractual issue for the Chelsea game. When they put down that grass pitch, Jack Hill Cowboys Stadium GM said the Super Bowl would be played on turf.Can they change their mind in two years? Sure.But it would have been part of an official NFL release months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 From that article:===But they don't plan to have a parade of grass fields. For instance, Hill said the 2011 Super Bowl will be played on the artificial surface, called RealGrass Matrix turf.===Seems pretty clear.That article is a year and a half old. Plans change. The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Doesn't Lambeau use some sort of reinforced hybrid surface? It's not plain old sod. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PackerBadger Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Doesn't Lambeau use some sort of reinforced hybrid surface? It's not plain old sod.Hang on a second, let me look ...Yes, that's Desso (formerly DD) Grassmaster. Also used in Denver, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Which is natural turf. Kentucky bluegrass, in the case of Lambeau Field.Grassmaster incorporates artificial fibers which reinforce the blades. Approximately 97% of the surface is real grass. The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 As opposed to Soldier Field's surface, which is 100% real bad. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 From that article:===But they don't plan to have a parade of grass fields. For instance, Hill said the 2011 Super Bowl will be played on the artificial surface, called RealGrass Matrix turf.===Seems pretty clear.That article is a year and a half old. Plans change.Okay, is this fresh enough? From the Stadium Guide section of nfl.com's Super Bowl Visitor's Info page:Playing Field Surface:Matrix Synthetic TurfCheapest tickets on stubhub btw are $2445. I'll pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldRoman Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Doesn't Lambeau use some sort of reinforced hybrid surface? It's not plain old sod.Hang on a second, let me look ...Yes, that's Desso (formerly DD) Grassmaster. Also used in Denver, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.Lambeau's grass always looks great, but Philly and Pittsburgh are as bad as Soldier Field's grass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJWalker45 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Green Bay has the stadium all to themselves. Pittsburgh and Philly split it with college teams. So it is easier for Green Bay's field to recover since it's getting half the workout. As much as everyone complained about Chicago's turf, it didn't seem to matter once the hitting started. I can still remember NFL games in Cleveland when they simply painted the dirt green because it was so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philly97flyer Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Heinz Field and the Linc may have bad grass (and they do), but nothing is on the level of that slop that is called a football field in Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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