Steelers Acrisure stadium grass
Steelers Acrisure stadium grass
Even for a season opener, take an extra moment of appreciation if the Acrisure Stadium field looks in great shape Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers grounds crew worked through the night to prepare it for Week One, a mission that became all the more challenging by what occurred the last 24 hours.
Torrential downpours plus the Pitt Panthers’ game Saturday afternoon was a recipe for the Steelers to have poor field conditions Sunday afternoon. Per ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, Pittsburgh made sure that wouldn’t happen.
“It rained in Pittsburgh yesterday for 12 hours through the Pitt/UCF game,” Paolantonio said on SportsCenter Sunday morning. “It was an unbelievable pelting that this field took. The grounds crew pulled an all-nighter. They had a vacuum running for 10 hours underneath the field, sucking the water out of the field. This field looks beautiful considering what it went through for the last 12 hours.”
After years of criticism for poor field conditions, Pittsburgh laid down a new type of grass this summer. Most recently, it was resodded following the Bruno Mars concert in late August. But several inches of rain in addition to the Pitt game, one that was delayed and didn’t finish until nearly 8 PM/EST, threatened to undo all that hard work.
ESPN’s live shot of the field showed grass that looked in good shape. Fortunately, any rain Pittsburgh receives Sunday isn’t expected to happen until the late-evening or at night, meaning conditions should be calm for a 1 PM/EST kickoff.
Critical of the playing surface in the past, QB Aaron Rodgers noted the field looked in much better shape during the preseason. Rodgers, of course, sat out the exhibition games, but will make his debut on the new grass in a few hours.
Acrisure’s field will be tested throughout the year. The Panthers host several more home games at Acrisure while the WPIAL high school championships will be played in November. Pittsburgh’s winters are always volatile with sleet, snow, cold, and wind.
The last time Pittsburgh played a meaningful game at Acrisure, a priest dominated the headlines for blessing the field. This time, the blessing comes through the all night efforts of Pittsburgh’s ground crew led by Director of Turf and Grounds Tom Goyne. A team that’s starting off the year on the right note. Now, the players who will soon join it need to do the same.