Te field, visually represented on the control panel, is divided into a 60-section grid. As data is collected during testing, it travels to the cloud where it can then be analyzed and converted to a visual display. Te display immediately allows the viewer to see the entire representation of the field surface and how each section within the grid is performing.
Taking this data is one jumping off point but, as NFL Field Director Nick Pappas is quick to point out, players are ultimately the end users, and their feedback is critical to the process of studying surface type and composition. "We want to provide surfaces that perform best for our players," Pappas said. "We want them to be able to go out and play and execute and be able to just focus on football."
Tere are differences between all surface types—including natural grass—that may result in a different player experience from one week to the next. Elements such as pile height, stitch gauge, and infill composition for synthetic surfaces and grass type, light conditions, and drainage requirements for natural surfaces are but a few of the variables that can contribute to differences in how a field ultimately presents itself to a player.
And conditions are not stagnant across the season. Weather, field maintenance, and stadium use for non- NFL events can alter surfaces and change the feel for playing football dramatically. Jeff Miller, NFL executive
vice president of communications, policy, and health and safety, said the pilot study with the BEAST, at the recommendation of the NFLPA, included athlete surveys taken after every game in 2023. "When we go back and measure the surfaces with the tools that we have, we want to see if we can correlate these feelings with some objective metrics ... In the same way that we want to correlate injuries with some objective metrics from the tools we use to measure them," Miller said.
Looking Ahead Last season was the first year of data collection in what is intended to be a multi-year study. Te plan for next season is to incorporate testing on all natural grass surfaces while simultaneously increasing the frequency of testing at all NFL stadiums.
As more of the BEAST units are built, more will be permanently established in various club locations to permit in-season monitoring of surface conditions. Te plan includes eventually testing international field surfaces, as well.
While there are more questions than answers at this stage when it comes to ideal playing surfaces, there is confidence science will ultimately lead all parties to common ground. It may not happen all at once.
Stephania Bell is a senior writer for ESPN.
TPI Turf News May/June 2024
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