CenturyLink Field Will Get New Turf In February

I really hate to see this. Sounders fans deserve a field as good as their fanbase. Two things:

1. Grass will work at CenturyLink, even with three sports. It needs three things:
-A well-designed subsurface (subdrainage lines and sub-air vacuums to rapidly remove water during heavy storms, sand-based soil to promote root growth, properly spaced irrigation, and reinforcing fibers to keep the field from ripping apart during athletic events [SportingKC opted not to utilize reinforcement and we saw how disastrous the field at Livestrong looked in the summer months]
-Time to establish the grass. The grass needs to root in the soil. The deeper the roots, the less likely it will come up in chunks. Unfortunately the MLS season runs through the prime growing season, so SoundersFC would
-Planning and Maintenance. The groundskeeper is the lowest person on the decision ladder on this, but with proper event planning you can have three organizations on a field in a season without damaging the field. One weekend with 3 events is repairable, three consecutive weekends with 3 events is not. CenturyLink benefits by having football and soccer, which have very different wear patterns. It’s MUCH better to have soccer and two football teams than three football teams (like Pittsburgh does when it hosts high school, Pitt, and Steelers football on a single field)

Yes, a grass field is not an easy thing to maintain, but that’s why there are people who are specialized in turf management who love the challenge of keeping a sports field in championship condition.

2. In my opinion artificial is never as good as the real thing. I’ve designed dozens of artificial and natural surface fields, and performed assessments on dozens more, and over time they are just as much of a headache as grass fields. Just like grass you need a great subsurface (usually stone or polypropylene base and an optional concussion-reducing impact pad), subdrainage to get rid of stormwater, irrigation to wash down the surface and cool the field (I’ve seen fields with surface temps as high as 150ºF on an 80ºF day), and a good backing for the artificial surface so the strands don’t get pulled out and litter the field. You need to regularly groom to even out the rubber infill material (the pellets) and during establishment you need to apply fabric softener to keep the infill material from clinging on to your clothes, shoes, etc. Then you need to regularly check the seams to make sure the carpet (which is what it is) hasn’t split anywhere.

As for the new carpet, I just want to know what the warranty was for the last carpet. I generally see seven year warranties as an industry standard. Why did this one fail after just two years? Now there’s a new product? Where else has it been installed? Has it been in the ground for two years? What does it look like?

It probably sounds like I have an axe to grind, but I really like seeing quality soccer. It’s fun to watch and—after it’s all said and done—grass is the best playing surface for soccer. Even if this field gets a FIFA two-star rating, ask yourself if Seattle Sounders FC is happy being a two-star franchise or if it aspires to have the highest quality venue for international soccer?