Ok, two last points because I’m tired of this subject. Lol. What you’re saying is that SU isn’t unique. I agree with that and this year is more an anomaly or bad luck. I’d also like to see the data for the Colts and Lions. I don’t recall them losing a player every other home game.
If there was a way for SU to put grass in the Dome like prior posts have shown other places are doing, that would be super. I just don’t see the viability of that slide in and out stuff.
It works when done right and if they can make it work for top tier euro football (soccer), where the quality of the pitch is paramount, it can work for American football. I went to a game at one such stadium for the 2006 world cup - they can slide the field in and out of the stadium (to grow outdoors when not in use) in about 4 hours... Germans are good at engineering stuff evidently (note the bolded info below about sound damping!)
Sadly, this type of real turf system really needs to be designed with the stadium to work (stadium needs a giant "slider bay" base-level on one side to move the grass pitch in and out.) and you need a directly-adjacent outdoor footprint next to the stadium as the "growing field" when slid outdoors.
Arena AufSchalke / Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany:
Roof and pitch
The Veltins-Arena features a Teflon-coated fiberglass canvas retractable roof, which spans the entire stadium. The roof is supported by a rectangular truss that is suspended above the field, which is in turn connected to the main building via 24 steel pylons. The center of the roof can be opened into two halves, allowing for an opened or covered stadium, depending on weather and event. To reduce the exterior noise of up to 105 decibels during concerts, a second layer of Teflon-coated fiberglass canvas was added over the first, creating a dampening air cushion. Hanging 25 metres (82 ft) over the center of the pitch are four video screens, each with a surface area of 35 square metres (380 sq ft). The centrally suspended scoreboard, similar to those found inside indoor sports arenas, was the first of its kind in football stadium, and has since been copied in the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt and the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf.
Like the Sapporo Dome in Japan, the State Farm Stadium and Allegiant Stadium in the U.S. and the GelreDome in the Netherlands, the Veltins-Arena features a slide-out pitch. Supported by a 11,400-tonne (11,200-long-ton; 12,600-short-ton) substructure, the playing field can be moved in and out of the stadium within four hours. This has several advantages:
- The grass playing surface can grow under normal outside conditions without suffering from a lack of circulation and light as in other arenas.
- The floor of the multi-functional hall can be converted and retro-fitted within a short amount of time.
- The outside area that is not occupied by the field can be used as parking facilities for buses during football matches.
- The football pitch is not damaged during indoor events such as concerts.
www.nytimes.com
