University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals was recently voted the best playing surface in an NFL players poll conducted by Sports Illustrated. Considered one of the top ten sporting structures in the world, the field is the only one of its kind in the U.S. The 94,000 square foot playing field retracts 714 feet from inside to outside the stadium.

Moving the almost 10,000 ton tray out of the stadium in 60 minutes is a remarkable feat, but not the only one. Keeping the playing surface playable and green during the course of an NFL season is equally challenging, and doing it within an ever changing environment is amazing. Each time the tray rolls into the stadium the grass goes into shock. Shock from moving out of the warm sunshine and into the cold shade. During bowl season the tray can be indoors for up to eight days. At this time, the grass almost stops growing and healing itself altogether. If the grass can’t heal itself, how does it withstand the impact of an NFL football game or college bowl game?

The secret lies in the field’s design. Each detail was carefully planned to maximize the performance of the field. The 10 inch sand rootzone helps the crew reach optimum moisture levels within the field. Tifway 419 Bermuda from Evergreen Turf was selected for its ease of management and great wear tolerance. Our very own StaLok® Fiber was selected to “add more grass roots.” Adding StaLok® Fiber, a synthetic fiber that mimics a natural grass root, increases the turf’s load bearing capacity without increasing compaction. The fiber helps the Tifway 419 withstand the impact of an NFL game when the field is inside, while promoting proper grass growth when the field is outside.

Besides its durability, why do the player’s love this field so much? One possibility might be because the field is flat. A flat field means a faster and more consistent field from sideline to sideline. Because the field retracts inside the stadium and the rootzone is 10 inches of StaLok® Fiber modified sand, no crown is needed to shed water off of the field. StaLok® Fiber also helps maintain the grade of the field, so the field stays flat from preseason to postseason.

No matter how great the combination of StaLok® Fiber and Tifway 419 works, this field wouldn’t be a field without the countless hours put in by the grounds crew. Congratulations to Tim Peterson, Andy Levy and Bob Schindler for making it the number one field in the NFL.