Can the Commanders grow real grass in a domed stadium? They aren't saying no - WTOP News
While the Washington Commanders work with the D.C. government to seal a deal for a new stadium on the site of the old RFK Stadium in Ward 7, team leaders have been looking at other stadiums around the country and the world for pointers as they begin to design their new home.
During a Bisnow forum on Thursday, Andy VanHorn, the head of real estate for the Commanders, admitted to visiting stadiums in Dallas and Atlanta, venues that host major events beyond the NFL games they’re mainly associated with.
But, he repeatedly cited two stadiums in Europe as venues worth paying attention to as well — a stadium in London used by the English Premier League’s Tottenham club, and Madrid’s Bernabéu.
“These guys are doing amazing things in the soccer space that we should be looking internationally and across sports to say, ‘How can we infuse all of the best, versus just the dedicated NFL viewpoint?’” he said.
Both of those venues are hosting NFL regular season games this year.
In fact, the Commanders are playing at the stadium in Madrid in November. The field in Tottenham is open air, though a roof hangs over all of the seats. The Bernabéu is a retractable roof facility, something the Commanders are at least considering for their new home.
VanHorn also admitted the team wants a stadium that will be enticing for players, describing it as a recruiting tool — something Northwest Stadium is definitely not.
Another other thing the team is paying attention to is the playing surface, as players prefer natural grass fields instead of artificial turf.
Additionally, the aforementioned European stadiums have real grass surfaces — a requirement for the kind of soccer matches they host, and which the Commanders envision coming to their new stadium.
“Technology continues to change. I would say turf technology also continues to change,” VanHorn said.
He made it clear that a synthetic turf playing surface is also still under consideration. But he also said “ownership is very interested in understanding, can grass be grown indoors?”
Two other NFL franchises that play in domed stadiums already use natural grass. However, the fields used in stadiums in Arizona and Las Vegas are grown outside of the stadiums, where they get maximum sunlight, and then get moved in for games.
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John has been with WTOP since 2016 but has spent most of his life living and working in the DMV, covering nearly every kind of story imaginable around the region. He’s twice been named Best Reporter by the Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association.
