The New England Patriots and New York Giants will face off in Super Bowl XLVI, set to take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, February 5. The stadium’s surface is FieldTurf, and the event marks the second time the Super Bowl will be played on FieldTurf (also Super Bowl XL at Detroit’s Ford Field). Both the Patriots (Gillette Stadium) and Giants (MetLife Stadium) play their home games on FieldTurf.
These same two teams played in Super Bowl XLIII when the Giants won the Lombardi Trophy and ended the Patriots’ hope for an undefeated season. With the rematch set to take place on the FieldTurf in Indianapolis, this year’s Super Bowl is one of the most anticipated championship games in recent memory.
“It’s going to be a special week for FieldTurf, with the Patriots and Giants each practicing on the FieldTurf at both Lucas Oil Stadium and at the University of Indianapolis leading up to the Super Bowl,” said FieldTurf President Eric Daliere. “Of course, both of those teams play their home games on FieldTurf. To not only have the game played on FieldTurf, but to have the two Super Bowl participants be long-time FieldTurf supporters, it means a lot to our company and is a major source of pride for each and every FieldTurf employee. We wish both the Giants and Patriots the best of luck and hope for yet another classic game between these two teams.”
The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) releases their ranking of NFL stadium fields every two years. For the tenth consecutive year, FieldTurf emerged as the leader among all artificial turf brands in the 2010 NFL Players Playing Surfaces Opinion Survey. An impressive three out of the league’s top four artificial surfaces were FieldTurf fields. Of the 31 NFL stadium fields rated by the players, FieldTurf's Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts, was ranked as the league’s best artificial surface for the second consecutive time. This marked the fifth consecutive survey and the tenth year in a row that one of FieldTurf’s fields has owned the top position as the best artificial surface in the NFL.
The Patriots and Giants have had tremendous success playing their home games on FieldTurf. New England quarterback Tom Brady boasts an impressive 41-6 record at Gillette Stadium since the installation of FieldTurf – a remarkable .872 winning percentage.
“It's (FieldTurf) always nice,” said Brady in a 2006 press conference. “I think the quarterbacks like it (FieldTurf) because you can plant really well. It's different than playing out there in our (old) sand pit because you can dig in and push off. I think everybody really likes the surface.”
Giants quarterback Eli Manning has thrown for 4845 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only 18 interceptions since moving to the new stadium in 2010.
Both of these stars will look to continue their success on FieldTurf at Lucas Oil Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday.
Super Bowl XL was held on the FieldTurf at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and marked the first time that the NFL’s championship game was played on an infilled artificial surface. In that game, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10.
