When the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons set foot in London, they will be playing on one of the more greener pastures in the world: Wembley Stadium.
But as bright green as it is, it raises the question: Does Wembley have natural grass? Or sprint turf?
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Wembley Stadium has ‘Hallowed’ Surface
Long story short, turf is what the venue uses.
It’s been described by wembleystadium.com as a “hallowed” surface. The new pitch was installed before major soccer matches involving Manchester City FC and Arsenal FC.
Per the site, more than 720 rolls of the hallowed turf were put in several lorries before being transported to the stadium. They were 10 meters long by 1.2 meters — which was approximately seven kilometers in length.
Ground manager Karl Standley added how the surface had to have its grass grown offsite before the official installation.
“Growing it offsite means we can ultimately cut down the time required between concerts and football to let the pitch recover so that Wembley can continue to keep up with global demand to stage world-class events,” Standley said.
He added: “The Wembley pitch is unique and has certain requirements. It involves a specific blend of sun, water, and nutrients and takes 14 weeks to get into perfect shape. Even the fertilizer plan is bespoke to our requirements.”
Installation of the field pitch can be watched here. The Falcons and the Jaguars will be the first NFL team to play on this newly developed surface.
Who Else Will Soon Use New Pitch Surface?
Following the Falcons versus Jaguars contest, the surface will be used by soccer and a Grammy-winning artist who helped add to the league’s popularity in Week 3.
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England versus Australia will be the subsequent sporting event at Wembley after the Falcons and Jags play their regular season game, then three more England soccer games.
In May 2024, the Emirates FA Cup final will take place at Wembley. Also in 2024, Taylor Swift will take her Eras Tour to Wembley in June. Swift has recently added an influx of new NFL fans through her “Swifties” fan base following her appearance in the Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs game to cheer on All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.
