Embed from Getty Images As the Detroit Lions front office and coaching staff are in deep preparations for the 2019 NFL Draft, an upgrade to Ford Field could be forthcoming. The team is looking to replace the six year old playing surface inside the stadium.
“We will likely be replacing that as part of our offseason in 2019,” Lions vice president of operations Todd Argust said. Last month at the NFL annual meeting Detroit Lions president Rod Wood said the team did not have any major investments in the stadium.
Wood also said the team was looking at improving parking and ingress and egress concerns in the area to provide a better experience for the fans. The Lions last replace the field surface in 2013. They do not play on astro turf. They play on a state of the art surface called Field Turf. It is used indoors and is actually like playing on natural grass.
Field Turf lasts for about a decade and then needs to be replaced. The Lions also use the Field Turf at the teams practice facility. Currently four other NFL teams use the surface. The Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks New England Patriots and Lions. Other teams have tried it and gotten rid of it.
Some players complain the surface is too soft. But it is a way to bring the outside in, in an artificial way.
