Washington's FedExField Gets A Makeover Prior to 2021 NFL Season
ASHBURN, Va. -- After years of speculation, the playing surface at FedExField is getting a full makeover.
According to Ben Standig and Zac Boyer of The Athletic and through the Washington Football Team's senior vice president for operations and guest experience, Chris Bloyer, FedExField's grass surface is undergoing an enormous renovation this offseason.
Per Standig and Boyer, WFT is replacing more than a foot of grass and soil at FedExField. This will be the first time a complete renovation of the playing surface has taken place since 1997 when the stadium originally opened.
Back in 2013, following the significant injury to Robert Griffin III in the NFC Wild Card round playoff loss, it was reported after a tour what the organization was doing then to fix some of the problems. It included a mid-season sodding of the middle of the field from end zone to end zone and in between the bottom of the numbers.
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The project included more than that as the field was 'excavated to the base because team officials realized the core of the problem was with the root system of the turf not receiving adequate drainage due to a backup of debris, silt and grass clippings.'
In addition, during June of 2013, a full new surface was installed after being raised on the eastern shore of Maryland. Team officials told me at the time that surface tested well in similar weather conditions on the east coast.
On Monday afternoon, WashingtonFootballSI asked Bloyer for clarification on the 2013 project (under a different executive, Lon Rosenberg) versus what is being done now and via a team spokeswoman. We were told "the answer is that it was a partial renovation on a portion of the field in 2013. This year’s renovation is a complete renovation."
Along with everything else in the organization changing, the playing surface is not just being brushed over or partially fixed, it's being completely upgraded before the start of the 2021 season.
On top and a foot below the surface. The hope, per The Athletic's report, is that this surface and ground renovation holds up through 2027 when the team's lease is up at FedExField.
Bloyer and his crew recently renovated the practice fields in Ashburn, so this has been a major offseason of good change with optimism for the future for Ron Rivera's organization.
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