New playing surface coming to Bank of America Stadium

[Sir Purr]

Of course, weather and geography make that difficult to maintain. Currently, 17 teams play on some degree of natural surface, with 15 teams on artificial turf (including the shared stadiums in New York and Los Angeles). The Panthers' divisional foes Atlanta and New Orleans both play on artificial turf.


The organization reached out to players from both the Panthers and Charlotte FC before the decision was announced to update them on the change.


"We have conveyed our commitment to the players to maintain this field at a level consistent with the highest standards," Hart said.


Even though some stadiums have figured out how to use both natural and artificial surfaces (such as Arizona and the new Tottenham stadium in London), 26-year-old Bank of America Stadium isn't built to accommodate such a "tray system" to roll in a second surface, nor is there enough real estate at the corner of Mint and Morehead to store a large patch of grass when it's not being used.


While some might not think it's an ideal decision, it's a practical one, giving them the ability to flip the facility for a high school game on Friday, a college game on Saturday, an NFL game on Sunday and a midweek soccer match. There have been calls for years for the stadium to be more accessible beyond NFL contests and a few college football games each year. There's also an aesthetic element, as an artificial surface eliminates the problems of painted lines on the field for different sports, meaning Charlotte FC won't have to play on top of faded Panthers logos or hashmarks in the middle of the field, and vice versa.


FieldTurf products are already used in five other NFL stadiums (Atlanta, Detroit, New England, Seattle, and New York Giants/Jets) and 11 other NFL practice facilities (those six teams plus Green Bay, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Washington).


Installing a FieldTurf product will also be consistent with what the Panthers practice on in the Atrium Health Dome behind the stadium.


The team still does most of its practicing on grass, and the new practice facility in Rock Hill (scheduled to open in 2023) will feature three full-size grass fields outdoors, one outdoor artificial turf surface, and one full-size indoor artificial field.


The plan is for all those artificial surfaces to be the same product, giving the Panthers a consistency from the game week to gameday. FieldTurf has also improved its product over the years, and the new Bank of America Stadium surface will feature the company's Vertex CORE turf and CoolPlay technology, which is designed to help keep the surface cooler than older artificial surfaces.


In MLS, Charlotte FC joins five other teams playing on artificial surfaces (Atlanta, New England, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver). The surface at Bank of America Stadium is FIFA Quality Pro certified, and four other MLS teams already play on FieldTurf, including Seattle, Atlanta, and New England, where the football and soccer teams share playing fields. There are also 13 practice facilities in MLS that feature FieldTurf.


By making the decision now, work will likely begin within days, and is expected to be completed by the summer.


While the life span of the FieldTurf surface could be up to 10 years, Hart said the plan is to replace the top layer every two or three years.