New England Patriots
“Not gonna lie — my knees ache, my ankles ache. It’s a little bit more harsh on your body.”
Gillette Stadium replaced its turf with natural grass in February. Jon Couture/The Boston Globe
May 19, 2026 | 5:16 PM
4 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH — Gillette Stadium is having a bit of a makeover this spring and early summer.
Beyond its temporary name change to “Boston Stadium” for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the Patriots’ home stadium will also temporarily replace its artificial turf with a grass playing surface in order to comply with FIFA’s regulations for soccer matches.
Of the 11 host stadiums in the U.S. that will host FIFA World Cup matches over the next few months, seven of them have synthetic turf — all of which have been replaced by a grass pitch for the upcoming tournament.
While Gillette Stadium’s grass surface is expected to be a temporary setting for the international tournament, Patriots safety and special-teams ace Brenden Schooler was candid on Tuesday when asked about his preference between turf and grass.
“Just speaking personally for myself, I love playing on grass,” Schooler said. “I think it’s got more give on it, doesn’t hurt as bad when you fall. When it’s freezing out, it doesn’t cut you up as bad as turf does. You don’t have to worry about turf burn. And I think from doing my own research and looking at data and stuff, I think turf — you have the unfortunate thing that you kind of get caught up, and guys get rolled up on, and your knee gets, or ankle gets stuck. And like I was saying, grass has got a little bit more give.
“You talk about longevity, you talk about injuries, you talk about, you know, wanting to make sure your joints feel great. Playing a game on turf. After, like, not gonna lie — my knees ache, my ankles ache. It’s a little bit more harsh on your body. So, if I have any opportunity to go train, work out, play, run around on grass, I would probably prefer grass.”
Schooler’s take is far from an outlier across the NFL.
Speaking on Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast, NFL Players Association (NFLPA) executive director JC Tretter said the overarching sentiment among players is a desire to play on grass. In total, 15 of the 30 NFL stadiums use some sort of artificial turf for football games.
“What we want is good grass fields. Good, solid fields,” Tretter told Heyward. “You don’t just want to pull out the [municipal] golf course grass. On every field, you want high-quality surfaces. I think one thing is understanding what our players care about. And there is something there that the data hasn’t been able to spit back out at us. Which if you ask every player that we polled, 1,700 players, 92 percent say they want grass over turf.
“There is something about the feeling of being on grass, the body feels different. I think if you ask the coaches, just standing on grass vs. standing on turf for three hours feels different. There is something there that impacts the body.”
In a post penned by Tretter on the NFLPA website, he noted that playing regularly on artificial playing surfaces raises the risk of wear and tear on the body, something that Schooler alluded to on Tuesday.
“Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018, not only was the contact injury rate for lower extremities higher during practices and games held on artificial turf, NFL players consistently experienced a much higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf compared to natural surfaces,” Tretter wrote. “Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf.
“Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass.”
Gillette Stadium initially had a natural grass field from 2002 until 2006, when it was replaced by artificial turf with features such as a heating system, artificial sun lamps, and a water vacuum to better control the conditions.
While NFL players may prefer a grass playing surface, the NFLPA noted last week that many NFL stadiums will revert to artificial surfaces once the World Cup wraps.
“NFL players have spent years advocating for safer, high-quality grass fields at their place of work, but when the World Cup is over, most of these stadiums will revert back to turf for the NFL season,” the NFLPA posted on X. “Our players deserve workplaces that prioritize their preference, protect them against the weekly wear and tear of the game, and support their long-term health and performance.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in one month, and work is underway to install fresh grass surfaces in NFL stadiums for the world’s top soccer players.
NFL players have spent years advocating for safer, high-quality grass fields at their place of work, but when the World Cup is… pic.twitter.com/QPxoF0w3ay
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) May 11, 2026
Beyond artificial turf being less costly and easier to maintain than natural grass, venues like Gillette Stadium also host several concerts and other events over the summer that would not be conducive to a grass surface—or at least would require significant maintenance following each event.
It remains to be seen whether either the NFL or the NFLPA will make concessions on playing surface mandates when negotiations on a new CBA begin. The NFL’s current CBA arrangement runs through 2030.
“I think there’s a lot of give and take,” Schooler said of negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA. “I don’t think the owners are going to get everything they want out of the deal, and we’re not getting everything out of the deal. …. I think [the NFLPA] does a great job looking out for us and making sure that we’re on a safe playing surface, or we’re working out in a safe weight room, workout facility.
“But you know, it’s that give and take, and it comes down to the nitty gritty and the guys who represent us through the PA to try to get that done.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
