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January 30th 2026

NFL Surface Standard: FieldTurf Leads All Suppliers in Approved Systems

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Results further validate FieldTurf’s renowned high-performance system design, trusted at every level.

Key Takeaways:

  • FieldTurf leads the industry with three synthetic turf systems approved under the NFL’s new enhanced playing surface standards.
  • All new NFL field installations must comply with the playing surface standards.
  • The approved systems were selected after rigorous testing by the NFL-NFLPA Joint Committee, evaluating traction, reducing rotational torsion, and preferred energy restitution, aiming to reduce lower extremity injuries.
  • Decades of innovation and research-backed performance position FieldTurf as a key player in improving player performance, safety, durability, and overall field quality.

Three FieldTurf synthetic turf systems have been approved as part of the NFL’s new enhanced playing surface standards, which every stadium will be required to meet, making FieldTurf a leading choice under the league’s new criteria.

Teams will have two years to meet these standards, regardless of whether they use natural grass, a synthetic surface, or a hybrid system. Any new field must be compliant immediately.

FieldTurf is already trusted as the main playing surface for eight NFL teams across the league, including both of this year’s Super Bowl finalists, the New England Patriots (Gillette Stadium) and Seattle Seahawks (Lumen Field).

The results are the latest example of FieldTurf leading through innovation to set new standards for performance, safety, and durability. For over 25 years, FieldTurf’s heavyweight system design has earned a reputation for delivering high-performance results in the lab and on the field:

  • Leader in traction & performance: Advanced traction research from the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia concluded that FieldTurf delivers the closest initial release traction value to Kentucky bluegrass.
  • Leader in player safety: Third-party, multi-year, research, awarded by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, concluded that heavyweight systems had the lowest injury incidence rate.
  • Leading Durability: FieldTurf has state-of-the-art fiber extrusion capabilities and expertise, delivering high-durability fiber technology, backed by industry-leading Lisport wear test results, and thousands of customers using FieldTurf fields past their warranty period.

“We’re extremely pleased by the results, which reinforce FieldTurf as the leading provider of innovative synthetic turf systems capable of meeting the NFL’s high standards for safety and performance,” said Darren Gill, Executive Vice President of FieldTurf North America. “Moreover, this outcome offers objective, measurable proof of the durability and reliability of our solutions as we continue to raise the bar across the industry.”

The systems were selected following rigorous testing directed by the NFL-NFLPA Joint Field Surface Safety and Performance Committee. Every product submitted was evaluated against three mechanical metrics (i.e., impact, traction, and infill depth).

The testing protocol incorporated two tools exclusive to the NFL.

  • Impact testing was carried out using the STRIKE device, which helps determine the energy restitution of each field. Using the STRIKE, fields must produce an average peak g greater than or equal to 45 g and lower than or equal to 90 g (i.e., 45g ≤ Peak g ≤ 90g).

  • Traction testing was conducted using the BEAST, a device that replicates the movements of NFL Players. For this test, the BEAST must measure a peak torque ≤ 180 Nm (rotational torque).

"It's sort of a red, yellow, green effect, where we're obviously trying to phase out fields that we have determined to be less ideal than newer fields coming into the industry," said NFL field director Nick Pappas when news of the new enhanced standards was announced last month. "This is a big step for us. This is something that I think has been a great outcome from the Joint Surfaces Committee of the work, the deployment and development of devices determining the appropriate metrics, and ultimately providing us with a way to substantiate the quality of fields more so than we ever have in the past."

About FieldTurf

FieldTurf is part of Tarkett Sports, a world leader in sports construction and surfacing. Providing architectural design, full-scope construction services, and a comprehensive portfolio of industry-leading sports surfacing solutions, Tarkett Sports delivers a seamless turnkey experience for its clients.