SportsField Management August 2023 | Page 18

SOCCER

Philadelphia Eagles Vice President of Grounds Tony Leonard . Photo by Daniel Burke Photography .

The English Premier League Summer Series took place in the United States for the first time , with six soccer clubs participating in matches and events across five major U . S . cities , including Philadelphia , from July 22-30 , 2023 .¹

The tournament kicked off at Lincoln Financial Field , home of the Philadelphia Eagles , on July 22 , with Chelsea FC taking on Brighton & Hove Albion FC , and continued on July 23 with a double-header featuring Fulham FC vs . Brentford FC followed by Newcastle United FC vs . Aston Villa FC .

In an interview with SportsField Management magazine prior to the Premier League Summer Series , Philadelphia Eagles Vice President of Grounds Tony Leonard discussed preparation for the event , as well as how the Premier League Summer Series will help Philadelphia to prepare for the FIFA World Cup in 2026 .²

SportsField Management ( SFM ): You have hosted major international soccer matches at Lincoln Financial Field in the past , and you deal with a lot of other events — from concerts to Monster Jam to WrestleMania to the NHL Stadium Series — so you are no stranger major events that extend beyond football . What does the overall planning and process look like for these types of special events , and how do you approach the unique challenges ? Leonard : It all starts with working with our stadium operations staff and the folks who plan events in our stadium throughout the year . It ’ s like a puzzle — where do you fit in the grass and the grass maintenance ? This soccer event is sandwiched between two major concerts — Beyonce and Luke Combs — so we have to balance all of that . But we work with a great sod farm , Tuckahoe Turf Farms , and we direct them on the maintenance . We make

18 SportsField Management | August 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com