It’s Football Season! – Grasses on High Profile Sports Fields

One of the greatest things about this time of year is the beginning of football season. Sports fan everywhere are eager to invite friends over and watch their favorite teams win.

Believe it or not, a major factor that goes into game performance is the field players perform on. Behind the scenes, the general public doesn’t see what comes into play when making a decision on which type of grass should be used. The striking grasses on these fields provide the foundation of the game. 

One popular grass used for sports stadiums is Tifway 419 Bermudagrass. This grass has been a favored choice since the 1960s and is still used in many locations today. Although the grass variety is tried and true, new and improved grass varieties have been introduced into the market in the last 15 years offering superior characteristics to Tifway such as stronger wear tolerance and an increased resistance to extreme temperatures.

These football field grass varieties include Celebration® Bermudagrass, Latitude 36® Bermudagrass and NorthBridge® Bermudagrass. Read on to find out which famous football stadiums and other professional sports venues have installed these superior grasses and why. Game on!

Overall, grass types used for football season (or any sports venue) must be capable of enduring the constant wear and tear of the players while recuperating rapidly in time for next week’s game.

The grass needs to be soft for players to land on and, of course, safe for high speeds and rough impacts. This ultimately points towards the benefits natural turfgrass has over artificial turfgrass.

Celebration® Bermudagrass

Celebration® Bermudagrass was developed in Australia and features extreme durability and a more rich, blue color than most other bermuda grasses. The color difference of Celebration is noticeably visible when Louisiana State University plays football at home.

Flipping between channels, it is easy to discern the difference in color between their Celebration fields and other types. See the side by side image of Celebration next to Tifway 419 below and check out the Celebration Sports References PDF to see a list of all the sports fields where this football grass has been installed.

Pictured left is Celebration® Bermudagrass and pictured right is Tifway 419. Celebration is known for its dark blue-green color, excellent wear tolerance and excellent injury recovery. 

Not only does it make a great grass for sports fields—it can also be found in home lawns across the globe. This grass makes a for a stunning curb aesthetic that will make your lawn stand out in the rest of the neighborhood. 

Latitude 36® Bermudagrass

One of the newest bermuda grasses on the market today is Latitude 36® Bermudagrass. Both Latitude 36 Bermudagrass and NorthBridge Bermudagrass were developed by Dr. Yanqi Wu at Oklahoma State University to perform in and above the transition zone where cold hardiness is an issue.

Although they were designed to withstand cold temperatures, both varieties are also having great success in southern locations with mild winters. Take a look at our Latitude 36 Sports References PDF below to see a list of all the sports fields where it has been installed.

Pictured above: Latitude 36 Bermudagrass on University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium.

In addition to sports fields all over the U.S., they have been performing well in golf courses. Over a dozen golf courses have opted for Latitude 36 in the Sunshine state and several Dallas-area golf courses have installed NorthBridge.

The two grasses are popular selections because of their improved wear-hardiness and exceptional appearance. Latitude 36 will also create a gorgeous home landscape for families with kids or pets who love to play outdoors. 

NorthBridge® Bermudagrass

Lastly, NorthBridge® Bermudagrass is another cold tolerant bermuda grass that has gained major popularity. Found in the stadiums of the Washington Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jacksonville Jaguars and recently the Baltimore Ravens, NorthBridge is another product of Oklahoma States’s turfgrass breeding program.

Oklahoma State is located in the transition zone of the United States, making it the perfect spot for developing grasses that will adapt to unpredictable and frequent weather extremes. Take a look at our NorthBridge Sports References PDF below to see a list of all the sports fields where it has been installed.

As previously mentioned, all three improved bermuda grasses have been offered into the market within the last 15 years. Sports fields and golf courses are continuously making the decision to switch over to either Celebration, Latitude 36 or NorthBridge Bermudagrass.

If you’re a homeowner who lives and breathes football, why not bring the excitement and festivity of football season to your home? Although these premium grass varieties are commonly used in professional and college sports stadiums, they make stunning, awesome selections for your home lawn. Get the best of sports field grass at home!