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Now that the World Cup has come and gone, NFL players may be more vocal now than ever about their preference to play on grass.
That’s largely in part because out of the 11 World Cup venues in the United States, seven of them were NFL stadiums that use artificial turf — but FIFA regulations require a grass playing surface.
The NFLPA has, not so subtly, joked about rolling out the “green carpet” for soccer players this summer, and more recently, players started a social media movement saying that their safety is “#WorthTheCost.”
But players, including Saquon Barkley, feel that a precedent has been set.
“I think it’s going to be hard for them to argue against that because if you’re able to do it for the World Cup, it doesn’t really make sense,” Barkley told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
Barkley did admit that he is “not as educated on it as I should be” and wants to do some more digging on the injury research between grass and turf, but he knows his own personal preference.
“I do prefer grass. I think the majority of players prefer grass. And I will say this – if the numbers show that playing on grass versus turf is better for us, then I think that’s more than enough,” Barkley said.
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“There’s no reason why, if you’re able to do it for the World Cup, and if that’s what we’re asking for as players, we can’t do it. I know that’s how players feel. I love playing on grass… Even when you’re practicing on turf, we hate it. We don’t like it. I’ve got to educate myself more on this topic. But if the numbers speak to what I believe they will, then there should be no reason why we shouldn’t.”
Ironically, Barkley’s serious injuries have come on grass, including a torn ACL in Chicago in 2020, which he admitted put him in a “sticky situation, but there’s a lot of stuff you just can’t control.” His 2,000-yard campaign came in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, which plays its home games on grass.
Half the league’s stadiums use turf, despite NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell saying that 92% of the league’s players prefer grass. The common speculation, though, is that turf is cheaper to use and easier to maintain than grass, considering the stadiums host plenty more events year-round.
It was announced late last year that each NFL team will be provided with “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new field will immediately have to meet those standards, and all teams will have two years to achieve them.
Both grass and synthetic turf fields will be subject to the new standards, but the NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields.
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The league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said there are no “statistically significant differences” in lower-extremity injuries or concussions that can be attributed to the type of playing surface or a specific surface. That is despite widespread preferences by players for grass fields and complaints about surfaces such as the one at MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play and where the World Cup final was held.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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