A pair of NFL games in Frankfurt, Germany, will take place on a hybrid turf field after teams complained about slipping issues on grass fields last year. The Chiefs and Dolphins are scheduled to play in the European city on November 5, followed by the Colts and Patriots on November 12.
“We continue to review the best surfaces for teams to play on and work with our stadium partners — both before and after events,” the NFL said in a statement. “In Frankfurt, the hybrid product will also allow for reduced wear to the playing surface ensuring quality for back-to-back games.”
Though the specifics of the new hybrid field at Deutsche Bank Park have not been revealed, the new turf is expected to solve many of the issues the league had last year with traction. In a 2022 regular season game between the Seahawks and Buccaneers in Munich, many players complained that the natural grass was too slippery.
Inconsistent playing surfaces have been a common issue for the NFL in recent years, as several different issues have cropped up and evoked criticism from players and coaches. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who will bring his team to Frankfurt next month, blamed the field at State Farm Stadium for a pair of injuries his players sustained in a regular season game last year. The Chiefs later won the Super Bowl on the same field later in the season, with some Eagles players partially blaming the slippery surface for the loss after the game.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who will also travel to Frankfurt this year, was at least partially responsible for replacing the Patriots’ turf after just one week in 2017, several months after it was installed. Unlike Reid and other outspoken coaches like Pete Carroll, Belichick never commented directly on the issue but also personally oversaw changes to the playing surface at Gillette Stadium.
