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Bills' new $2 billion stadium will include NFL rarity

The Buffalo Bills stadium is still more than a year away from being ready, but the process to get the natural grass surface is already underway.
Ronnie Eastham|
The new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
The new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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It's widely known that artificial surfaces in football stadiums are not conducive to player health. This fact has been studied for years and is linked to non-contact injuries occurring more frequently on artificial surfaces than natural grass, which is an obvious reason players prefer the natural turf.

It only makes sense that teams would install real grass fields in their billion-dollar stadiums to protect their players, but currently, only 15 NFL stadiums use natural grass, according to a recent article in the Buffalo News. The article pointed out that one significant reason for this is the cost. While it is more expensive to install artificial turf, it typically lasts longer and is cheaper to maintain.

According to the article, natural grass fields cost between $300,000 and $500,000. Then there are the infrastructure and annual maintenance costs that can reach upwards of $1,000,000 a year. The stadium costs have already far exceeded expectations, but it will be well worth it for player safety.

Realizing that this process needs to start right away, the team hired a contractor, SCG Fields, to begin the process. Bills' vice president of stadium development, John Polka, said, "This gives us a full growing season before our first game. A lot goes into the field components themselves." SCG Fields also installed the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos fields.

Even though about half the NFL stadiums currently have natural grass fields, the Bills' new stadium will be one of only two that will incorporate the sort of grass-growing technology. This technology includes hydronic heating, grow lights, sub-air technology, and irrigation. Between the new field surface and state-of-the-art roof, the Bills' new stadium will truly be a one-of-a-kind in the NFL.

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Ronnie Eastham
RONNIE EASTHAM

Ronnie began covering the NFL and the Buffalo Bills three years ago, including content across outlets such as FanSided, Buffalo Rumblings podcasts, On SI and video content for Built In Buffalo.

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