As the 2023 calendar flipped to April, the long-awaited turf change at MetLife Stadium finally took place.
It wasn’t grass like New York Giants co-owner John Mara hopes it eventually will be, but it was an upgraded and more modern FieldTurf.
The two New York teams will now play on an updated version of FieldTurf — a recent edition called FieldTurf Core system, which is the first multilayer dual-polymer monofilament fiber.
The heavyweight infill design claims to deliver a lower incidence of total injuries compared to various infill weights. The performance and durability of the surface are backed by multiple independent certified sources and was tested to 200,000 cycles on the fiber wear test by Penn State’s Center for Sports Surface Research.
The change took place after a groundswell of complaints from players and a consistent uptick in injuries.
“Installation of the new FieldTurf CORE system reinforces the commitment we have to providing the best playing surface for our teams,” president and CEO of MetLife Stadium Ron VanDeVeen said in a statement. “The research that FieldTurf has put into the heavyweight infill design for this new field system will equip MetLife Stadium with one of the premier surfaces in the league.”
Earlier this week, a photo of that new “premier surface” was leaked.
The NEW NEW pic.twitter.com/sgm5UhbaUS
— LPG – NYG (@LicensePlateGuy) April 11, 2023
It certainly looks good but how it plays will be the most important part of the equation. The Giants lead the league in man games lost since 2009 and endured another injury-plagued season in 2022.
