Chelsea and Manchester City will be the next big European sides to test the evolving state of the pitch in America, as the two clubs meet in a pre-season friendly as part of the 2024 FC Series.
Playing fields in the United States have been a major topic of conversation over the past year or two. As the U.S. prepares to host the 2026 World Cup, several of the country’s major stadiums that feature artificial turf fields have to figure out how to comply with FIFA regulations as best as possible.
It has been a bumpy and difficult journey, as evidenced by the criticism faced by many playing surfaces at the 2024 Copa America.
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When the two Premier League sides meet at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, the natural grass surface on the pitch will be the latest US-based pitch to be under scrutiny.
The process of laying a turf field over a natural grass surface is twofold: first, the field is grown on a turf farm and then transported and installed, usually by an independent company.
The 1.5-inch-thick turf is Bermuda grass, a popular variety in the United States that is better suited to warm climates, and was grown over six months at Carolina Green Corp in North Carolina. It took 31 refrigerated trucks to transport the 558 rolls weighing more than a ton on the 16-hour trip to the Ohio stadium.
“All turf is grown for immediate play purposes,” Chad Price, president and co-founder of Carolina Green Corp, told The Jugo Mobile. “It’s thick and has a lot of ballast, and growing it on plastic, the roots get tangled up like a potted plant. When you take a plant out of a pot that’s been there for a while, the roots are all tangled up and you can’t separate it very well.”
“That, combined with the weight, the ballast, is what makes it work when you use it for an immediate game situation.”
It’s game day! ?
Our US tour concludes against Chelsea, live on CITY+ ? image.twitter.com/FtX2tQ2Mpj
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 3, 2024
Once on site, it is Illinois-based Bush Sportsturf’s job to install the surface, which includes rolling out the turf to establish seams and create a firm surface, followed by cutting the turf to the pitch pattern and laying out the field for the match.
“These teams have a lot of expectations and want the pitch to be safe and playable, and to look good,” Michael Peters, owner and president of Bush Sportsturf, told The Jugo Mobile. “We will work with the maintenance staff of these Premier League teams to address any concerns they have or anything we can do to improve the pitch before match day.”
While seam integrity and field bounce were a concern at the Copa America, these companies are actively listening to feedback to improve their surfaces not only for these summer friendlies, but also for the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.
BRILLIANT! A slow-motion video shows the Shoe turning into a football pitch ahead of Saturday’s match between Manchester City and Chelsea. image.twitter.com/wHvliABH9y
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) August 2, 2024
“Once teams show up, we usually hear from some coaches and players what they think or how they feel,” Price said of his turf product. “Some of that feedback might make it into the press and some might not, but we always want to know. A lot of times these teams played on a field we played on a few days or weeks before, how does it compare? We expect them to be the same, but we want to know those things to try to find ways to make adjustments.”
The game at Ohio Stadium will be the fourth pre-season tour for both Chelsea and Manchester City, who have previously played at other stadiums including Yankee Stadium in New York, Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
