New Playing Surface Likely Coming To Qwest Field In 2012
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jun 17, 2011 4:18 PM PDT
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It looks like there will be a new playing surface on Qwest Field in 2012, although the chances of it being grass are almost nil, according to comments Seattle Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer made to Don Ruiz of the News Tribune:
In the meantime, I think it’s highly likely that we will speed up the process and regularity with which we would change the synthetic. ... I think it’s highly likely that there will be a new field by next season."
This is not exactly earth-shattering news as grass never seemed to be a very realistic possibility, and these aren't so different from comments Hanauer made to Sounder at Heart back in April. Still, this is undoubtedly the most clear statement the Sounders have made about what lies ahead in terms of the playing surface at Qwest.
There has been considerable advancements in synthetic turf technology, something that is on obvious display at places like Jeld-Wen Field and Empire Field. There are also other synthetic options like Polytan that are being used all over the world.
While grass would have been a nice option, it was always an extreme longshot, especially once it became clear that installation might take up to eight months. At least the Sounders have acknowledged that Qwest's turf needs to be replaced and they are planning to do so quickly.
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Polytan makes a product called Ligaturf that is gorgeous and apparently well-suited to soccer.
I don’t know if it would work for the NFL, but if it does then man that would be awesome.
It sounds like they are going to keep looking into how to transition to grass
And increase the frequency of replacing the turf in the meantime.
(Conversion to grass) is sort of an eight-month process, which doesn’t work for us. I mean, the Seahawks aren’t going to move somewhere else for their season, and we don’t want to move somewhere else for ours. So now we’re trying to look into whether there are ways to transition it over a period of time. The other issue is clearly when UW moves into Qwest for (the 2011 Apple Cup and all of 2012). So I don’t think this is going to be a quick fix. But we are going to continue to figure out if there is an alternative to the synthetic.
Basically that the limiting factor in moving to grass is the time to do it correctly
As the stadium will never be out of use for an 8 month block of time. So now they have to figure out if those 8 months can be broken up into smaller segments.
Is grass really feasible?
I just wonder about the pounding the surface would get playing soccer and football during late summer and fall, how grass would hold up? Also, they are able to scrub the field turf so there are no football lines. I wouldn’t think they could do that with grass. I hate football lines much worse than using field turf.
isn't
the switch over suppose to happen before the suppose NFL season?
Yea
i am hoping that’s what they call it when they switch over.
Good seeing that they are trying.
I think we may get grass, it will just be longer than most would like.
I am all for a temporary solution for now.
They may not be able to do grass now, but after Huskies Stadium reopens after their remodel I certaintly could see them move Sounders -Seahawks to the Huskie stadium while grass is installed @ Qwest/Century Link. Which would mean 2013-2014.
by TheDarkPassenger on Jun 17, 2011 7:29 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Adrain
said that either moving the seahawks or the sounders for 8 months isn’t going to happen. Plus there are other non football/soccer events that uses the stadium so. So its unlikely they would shut down the entire stadium for 8 months to make the necessary switch.
I think he means right now
there aren’t any feasible options. We don’t want to go back to playing at Starfire for a season and Husky Stadium isn’t available while it’s being renovated. Most of the non-football/soccer events could also potentially be held at Husky Stadium or elsewhere. To me, it sounds like both the Sounders and Seahawks want grass and it’s just a logistical issue of it working out for one of the teams to spend a season at Husky Stadium to make it happen. I’d much rather have grass after the Huskies are done playing at Qwest, so there’s a little less traffic on the playing surface throughout the course of the year.
by Randy Meeker on Jun 17, 2011 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Could
it be feasible since they have to replace the pitch anyways if they could get the drainage system in place as they are putting down new turf then do grass the following year? Or is there even not enough time between the football and soccer season to even do the drainage system?
There is no time between football and soccer season
They overlap
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jun 17, 2011 9:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Feb to March
because the Seahawks will plan on being in the playoffs
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yea
i did mean between post NFL and pre MLS season. By chance Seahawks don’t make the playoffs would those 3 months be enough to get at the necessary drainage in place as well as getting the new field down.
well I'm an idiot
Not sure why that didn’t dawn on me…
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter
by Jeremiah Oshan on Jun 18, 2011 7:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Still (hopefully) a massive longshot
but I wonder if this timetable would change if there’s no NFL this year.
They'll have to leave the Field alone in case a season happens
Plus the Huskies are hosting the Apple Cup in Qwest this year as the Husky Stadium renovation will be underway.
Great news.
I still don’t like that the team plays on an artificial surface, but right now the problem appears to be that it’s a completely crap artificial surface. According to the FIFA ratings system it’s a recreational grade surface, and my experience in mens league bears that out, at least visually.
There have been posts suggesting that some of the Sounders offensive problems at home are due to the fact that an unreasonably fast and slick artificial surface make it more difficult to properly weight certain types of passes, which is something that we have traditionally relied on.
Grass would be ideal,
but I’ve heard that there are some artificial turfs that allow for imbedded fiber optic lighting that make it so you do not have to paint the field, but instead the lighting will create all the lines. That would improve the looks of the field for both teams. For the sounders it would remove the outline of the gridiron, and for the Seahawks, it would allow them to color the endzones, instead of having them be green.
by Mind of no mind on Jun 18, 2011 2:46 AM PDT reply actions
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