EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
Artificial turf fields are more popular than ever for football in major college sports. Of the 133 schools that currently compete in the top-tier of NCAA Division I (known as FBS), 94 have artificial surface football fields (71%) and 39 have grass (29%). Most grass fields are at Power Five schools that can afford the upkeep and maintenance.
NFL players have repeatedly called for team owners to replace all the artificial turf fields used in stadiums around the league to be replaced with grass. They say the grass surfaces are safer and there have been some studies that show an increase in the frequency of certain lower body injuries when football is played on artificial turf compared to grass fields.
The question is important not just in football, but also in soccer and other sports — anywhere athletes make sudden shifts in direction that can twist joints and tear ligaments. Scientists have studied the question, but there are challenges to getting the answer right. Still, the available research points to safety advantages for grass when it comes to foot and ankle injuries.
Other experts point out the injury data is not definitive, that maintaining a quality grass surfaces can be difficult — and climate dependent — and that technology is improving the quality of artificial surfaces.
In major college football — where players do not have a union to voice their collective concerns — most games are played on artificial surfaces.
There are opportunities to localize this story with college sports fields in your community, whether NCAA Division 1 or not, but also by exploring what surfaces are in use at nearby middle and high school fields as well.
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READ AP’S LATEST COVERAGE
Costly upkeep, less-than-ideal weather lead most college football stadiums to use artificial turf
What does the science say about the grass vs. turf debate in sports?
What is artificial turf? Synthetic grass has come a long way since the days of AstroTurf
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FIND YOUR STATE: DIVISION 1 SCHOOLS WITH GRASS FOOTBALL FIELDS
(asterisk)(asterisk) indicates that the team plays in an NFL stadium.
ALABAMA
University of Alabama
Auburn University
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ARIZONA
Arizona State University
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ARKANSAS
University of Arkansas
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CALIFORNIA
San Diego State University
Stanford University
UCLA
USC
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COLORADO
University of Colorado
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CONNECTICUT
University of Connecticut
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FLORIDA
University of Florida
Florida Atlantic University
Florida State University
University of Miami
University of South Florida
UCF
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GEORGIA
University of Georgia
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ILLINOIS
Northwestern University
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INDIANA
Purdue University
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IOWA
Iowa State University
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LOUISIANA
LSU
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MICHIGAN
Michigan State
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MISSISSIPPI
University of Mississippi
Mississippi State University
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NORTH CAROLINA
Duke University
East Carolina University
North Carolina State University
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OKLAHOMA
University of Oklahoma
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PENNSYLVANIA
Penn State University
University of Pittsburgh(asterisk)
Temple(asterisk)
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SOUTH CAROLINA
Clemson University
University of South Carolina
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TENNESSEE
University of Tennessee
TEXAS
TCU
Texas A&M
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UTAH
BYU
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VIRGINIA
University of Virginia
Virginia Tech
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NOTABLE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE SWITCHED SURFACES IN THEIR CURRENT STADIUM
Alabama – Grass 1927-67; AstroTurf 1968-90; Grass 1991-present.
Arkansas – Grass 1938-68; AstroTurf 1968-94; Grass 1994-2009; Artificial Turf 2009-18; Grass 2019-present.
Florida – Grass 1934-70; Artificial 1971-89; Grass 1990-present.
Georgia Tech – Grass 1913-70; AstroTurf 1971-94; Grass 1995-2019; Artificial 2020-present.
Michigan – Grass 1927-68; Artificial 1969-90; Grass 1991-2002; FieldTurf 2003-present.
Michigan State – Grass 1923-68; Artificial 1969-2001; Grass 2002-present.
Mississippi – Grass 1915-69; Artificial 1970-83; Grass 1984-2002; Artificial 2003-15; Grass 2016-present.
Ohio State – Grass 1922-70; AstroTurf 1971-89; Grass 1990-2006; FieldTurf 2007-present.
Texas – Grass 1924-68; Artificial 1969-95; Grass 1996-2008; FieldTurf 2009-present.
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WHY DO SCHOOLS DECIDE TO USE ARTIFICIAL SURFACES?
Costs often weigh heavily into what type of surface is used in a football stadium. Maintenance and upkeep is drastically different, including the number people needed to staff a grounds crew.
Few schools outside the Power Five conferences, where resources and revenue are far more scarce, use grass fields.
Climate also plays a big role in determining what type of surface a school uses on its football field. Most of the grass surfaces are in the South, Southwest and California.
Schools also want to use their stadiums for more than just football, hosting concerts and other sporting events, which may play into administrators’ decisions on the type of surface to use.
With all those factors, administrators should be asked how much they consider safety and how they weigh the injury data regarding playing surfaces.
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WHO MAKES THESE DECISIONS?
Ultimately, a school’s athletic director makes the call, but usually it will be a deputy or associate AD in charge of facilities or external operations who has the most hands-on experience working with vendors and construction contractors.
They will often be the people in the athletic department best positioned to answer in detail why one surface was used over another.
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WHO ELSE SHOULD YOU CONTACT?
— Every college athletic department has medical staff and athletic trainers. Athletic trainers, in particular, are on the front lines of dealing with player injuries. The National Association of Athletic Trainers is a resource for connecting with athletic trainers who work directly with teams and those who teach and a do research.
— Players have different opinions about grass and turf fields. If you are in the vicinity of a college sports team that plays on a field, reach out to school administrators for their perspective and try to get players’ thoughts on their experience playing on different surfaces.
— The decision of turf versus grass isn’t just playing out at the college and pro level, but on middle school and high school fields as well. Contact local schools in your area and ask what kind of field they use and why. If a school has recently changed out a field surface, or is thinking of doing so in the future, what will the cost be for installation and maintenance? Consider attending some games or events on those fields and talking to coaches, players and their parents to get their take on this issue.
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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.