Q & A WITH DR . GRADY MILLER

I noticed that UNC-Chapel Hill is

Author ’ s note : This question came from someone outside the sports field management industry .

A full account of the reasons would need to come from UNC ’ s director of athletics . I can only provide reasons reported by their athletic department along with some background as to why they may have made this decision .

As per reports , the playing surface in Kenan Stadium will be renovated in early spring 2025 to natural grass ( Tahoma 31 hybrid bermudagrass ), with a synthetic turf perimeter . Using synthetic turf outside the playing surface is a design that can help maintain a turfgrass-like surface consistency in this area of low sunlight , high traffic , and excessive runoff from the field and stands — factors that can make growing healthy natural grass challenging .

According to UNC ’ s director of athletics , their current synthetic turf surface is reaching the end of its lifespan , which prompted them to discuss what surface they wanted next . The stadium field had a natural grass surface for most of its 100-year history until a synthetic perimeter was added in 2017 when the hedges and fences were removed . Then , in 2019 , the entire field was renovated to a synthetic turf surface , coinciding with Mack Brown ’ s return as head football coach . The new field design will be very similar to the design used from 2017-2019 .

This change from synthetic back to natural grass also coincides with a change in the head football coach . According to reports from the university , new Head Coach Bill Belichick wants to run his program as close to a professional organization as possible . According to a 2024 NFL survey , more than 90 percent of professional football players prefer playing on natural grass . The NFL players union voiced its concerns in 2024 , urging the league to require natural grass surfaces in all stadiums . The players union cited data collected for the NFL that indicated lower-extremity injuries are much more common on synthetic turf surfaces than on natural grass . Perhaps Coach Belichick is bringing those

concerns to the school ’ s athletic administration when suggesting his desire to switch to a natural grass surface .

The primary reasons teams use synthetic turfgrass surfaces with open stadiums is for multi-use versatility of the surface for other events , as well as a consistent field surface regardless of weather conditions . Kenan Stadium has been used for non-sporting events such as commencements ; and the field has also been used for conditioning , practice and play for various varsity sports during the renovation of their specific sports facilities . The football team has a synthetic surface available for use in their indoor practice facility , along with several other outdoor synthetic sports fields on campus . So , they will still have access to a synthetic surface for practices as needed .

Another factor that may have contributed to the changeover decision is that during the last two years Kenan Stadium hosted two international soccer matches , requiring the Athletic Department to install thick-cut sod over the top of the synthetic turf surface as a temporary natural grass surface . With a permanent natural grass surface , hosting future international soccer events in Kenan Stadium would require far less field preparation .

I am sure there are several other tangible and intangible reasons that UNC discussed before finalizing their decision . A significant factor I hope they considered is that their field management staff possesses the expertise needed to manage a great natural grass field . Kenan Stadium won the 2018 SFMA Field of the Year in the college football category , and UNC ’ s Dorrance Field won the 2021 SFMA Field of the Year in the college sporting grounds category . Their dedicated sports field managers are sure to provide athletes with the best surface possible SFM

Grady Miller , Ph . D . Professor and Extension Turf Specialist North Carolina State University

Questions ? Send them to Grady Miller at North Carolina State University , Box 7620 , Raleigh , NC 27695- 7620 or e-mail grady _ miller @ ncsu . edu

Or , send your question to Pamela Sherratt at 202 Kottman Hall , 2001 Coffey Road , Columbus , OH 43210 or sherratt . 1 @ osu . edu

50 SportsField Management | March 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com