For years, the NFLPA has been lobbying NFL teams to make natural grass the league’s universal playing surface. This idea has received pushback from the league’s owners, but one NFL venue is being resurfaced with grass ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The player’s association had a clever comment as MetLife Stadium goes all natural.
NFLPA Takes Quick Shot at NFL Ownership With Natural Grass Installation Video
The NFLPA has been after universal grass fields for years, with former president JC Tretter leading the charge. Tretter played for the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns, two of the 13 teams that utilize grass fields, but Tretter and his teammates knew the issues with practicing and playing on artificial turf.
Tretter wrote a letter detailing the association’s reasoning behind the all-grass demand, saying, “Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018, not only was the contact injury rate for lower extremities higher during practices and games held on artificial turf, NFL players consistently experienced a much higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf compared to natural surfaces.”
Tretter continued, “Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass.”
The NFL’s injury numbers don’t look great, and, according to NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell, the majority of players want all stadiums to have grass fields.
MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, will soon host FIFA Club World Cup Matches and will host World Cup Matches next summer. The stadium’s artificial turf was recently covered with real grass, and the players’ association took a shot at league ownership.
The NFLPA’s X account tweeted a clip of natural grass being installed at MetLife Stadium in preparation for an upcoming FIFA Club World Cup match between Palmeiras and FC Porto with the message, “Looks nice…#SaferFields”
Looks nice 🧐… #SaferFields https://t.co/Vugv4teNxI
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) June 11, 2025
The United States, Mexico, and Canada are set to host the 2026 World Cup, and FIFA has demanded that all games be played on natural grass. Seven NFL stadiums will be used as host sites, and the players’ association will enjoy seeing them use real grass.
Which NFL Stadiums Will Host World Cup Games?
11 NFL stadiums will host matches in next year’s World Cup, and seven currently utilize artificial turf.
- MetLife Stadium – Giants, Jets – Turf
- AT&T Stadium – Dallas Cowboys – Turf
- GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City Chiefs – Grass
- NRG Stadium – Houston Texans – Turf
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta Falcons – Turf
- SoFi Stadium – Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers – Turf
- Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia Eagles – Grass
- Lumen Field – Seattle Seahawks – Turf
- Levi’s Stadium – San Francisco 49ers – Grass
- Gillette Stadium – New England Patriots – Turf
- Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Dolphins – Grass
“Turf has stayed relatively consistent at an injury rate over the last decade,” Tretter told ESPN. “Grass this year has its highest injury rate over the last decade, but it was still lower than the injury rate on turf. So, the worst performing year on grass is still better than turf this year.”
Tretter vacated his role as president soon after the article was released, but the association’s demands have remained the same under his successor, Detroit Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Numbers never lie, and the statistics support the NFLPA’s demand to change all fields to natural grass. The World Cup will be a feather in the cap of the association to prove that grass fields can be used at all NFL stadiums, but getting a jab in early never hurts.
