ARLINGTON - Cowboys Stadium (80,000)

[katanna1]

Originally Posted by TU 'cane

Wow, I was hoping by now they would have figured out a quicker way or mechanism to close and open the roof faster. 12 minutes is a long time, just think about it.

Why does it need to move faster? Outside of the "Wow, that's cool" factor there is no reason for it to move faster.

Matthew

[Arist]

What area is that? Please enlighten us STADIUM EXPERT. What do you consider a GREAT stadium?

[ccfc-4-life]

great stadium

[Arist]

wasn't it an hour like 10 years ago?

[Arist]

U tell them Rantanamo.

[plasticterminator]

'growing grass 365 in Dallas is not a possibility. Plus as we've seen in other venues with large roof coverage, sunlight is another problem. Even with a rolling field, you ostill have a weather problem'


Lots of misinformed comments regarding grass. What qualifies you to have this opinion?

[BuffaloHoya]

If they can maintain grass fields in Denver, Pittsburgh, New England for many years, Cleveland... they could do it much easier in Dallas.

Look, I'm not saying it would be like Tampa or Miami... but it is 100% doable.

But like I acknowledged in my original post, the fact they are NOT aiming for a retractable field and the fact the venue will be used for more than just football and the field area will be trampled on constantly, I think artificial is probably the way to go.

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by BuffaloHoya

If they can maintain grass fields in Denver, Pittsburgh, New England for many years, Cleveland... they could do it much easier in Dallas.

Look, I'm not saying it would be like Tampa or Miami... but it is 100% doable.

But like I acknowledged in my original post, the fact they are NOT aiming for a retractable field and the fact the venue will be used for more than just football and the field area will be trampled on constantly, I think artificial is probably the way to go.

- Denver's Field is a hybrid of real and synthetic grass. You can easily see the dead real grass between the synthetic strands

- Pittsburgh has the worst field in the NFL right now. Many have been calling for them to go artificial since Heinz opened.

- Cleveland is already talking artificial.

- New England is artificial. Started out as grass, but was impossible to maintain

and what qualifies me to have this opinion? Just years of watching sports. When I say large roof covering, I'm not talking about your typical English football ground. I'm talking mainly retractables. Then you have the added stress that football puts on grass. Look at what the NFL games at Wembley have done to that field twice now. Even at Minute Maid Park in Houston they are having to put in a special new grass this offseason. Retractables are simply tough on grass. Add winter, add football and add the versatility that this place is looking for. Grass would be simply ridiculous in this case.

and I know its hard because I live in DFW. I know that its a hard deal to keep the Cotton Bowl surface up in the winter.

[thomasKing]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

- Denver's Field is a hybrid of real and synthetic grass. You can easily see the dead real grass between the synthetic strands

- Pittsburgh has the worst field in the NFL right now. Many have been calling for them to go artificial since Heinz opened.

- Cleveland is already talking artificial.

- New England is artificial. Started out as grass, but was impossible to maintain

and what qualifies me to have this opinion? Just years of watching sports. When I say large roof covering, I'm not talking about your typical English football ground. I'm talking mainly retractables. Then you have the added stress that football puts on grass. Look at what the NFL games at Wembley have done to that field twice now. Even at Minute Maid Park in Houston they are having to put in a special new grass this offseason. Retractables are simply tough on grass. Add winter, add football and add the versatility that this place is looking for. Grass would be simply ridiculous in this case.

and I know its hard because I live in DFW. I know that its a hard deal to keep the Cotton Bowl surface up in the winter.

The technology is there now to maintain proper grass fields in stadiums with large covered stands as proven by Arsenal´s Emirates stadium, which is the one new stadium. where all new knowledge is exploited.

it works because

-there is a gap from the back of the top tier and up to the roof above
-the pitch is seeded and grown inside the stadium.
-the grass is "sewn", (as in Denver) meaning the soil is filled with artificial grass that the roots can grow around. Its still a grass field in every sense.
- artificial solar rigs are regularly rolled out.

Forget about Wembley. It has the worst surface in english football. They need to re-think everything. Its nothing to do with the NFL-game. a one-off rugby match was played there shortly after the NFL game, which ended in injuries and possible lawsuits because of the disgraceful field. If the NFL had any sense they moved their London game to Twickenham. with 82,000 seats its only a loss of 8,000.

one of the NFL-teams actually trained at Arsenal´s training facility and it was widely considered it the finest surface they had ever played on.
It may well be that Dallas dont need grass but it isnt true that it cant work. European football have flirted with the fake stuff but it has generally been rejected.

[Arist]

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE INSIDE A DOME.

And they dont want real grass, real grass falls apart after all the rolling up over and over and over again and that will happen because this stadium will be used for more then what grass is needed for. Rolling down new grass every week is a bull shit plan if i ever heard one, its cost to much to maintain, to re-paint and you have to buy new fields every year, a New supper tech field turf that is pre colored to your logos and signs is better, smarter and cost efficient.

Also the can grow grass in Denver, Pitt, NE and Cleveland because those stadium dont have one of the worlds largest roofs covering it! And watch the games this weekend and look at how ugly the fields get this late in the season, all yellow and torn up, players cant get a grip, Im surprised they arnt using turf.

[nrrh]

I don't get down that way as much as I used to so it's been a while since I got to take some new pics.

There is a massive amount of work being done on Johnson Creek south of Randol Mill Road including a bridge over the creek to extend the road just south of the stadium to Nolan Ryan Pkwy. The parking lots at the southwest corner of Nolan Ryan and Randol Mill have also been torn up. Any idea if they're just redoing those or is the hotel that is supposed to be built there actually going ahead?



You can clearly see the massive doors being installed.

[Arist]

And The Cotton Bowl Field will be half dead when the cotton bowl is played on it this new years.

artificial is just better.

[BigDA]

Plain and simple, let the skills of the players and coaches determine who wins the game, not the surface or officials.

Let the skills of the players and coaches determine who wins the championship, not some stupid fat sportswriter. Do you hear that BCS (Bull Crap System)?

[BigDA]

This article out of the Dallas Morning news should shut up anymore discussion about Natural or Artificial surfaces in the new Texas Stadium.

High schools could turn to Dallas Cowboys' new home

08:00 PM CST on Thursday, December 11, 2008
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News
kwhitmire@dallasnews.com


It will probably be the end of an era Saturday night, when the final seconds tick off in the Denton Guyer-Longview 4A state semifinal. It could be the final high school football game at Texas Stadium.

The Dallas Cowboys have the stadium booked next Saturday, although a high school game could be played the night before.

"I'd probably say 90 percent this is going to be the last weekend," stadium general manager Bruce Hardy said. "It's going to be tough. To sit here and to think of all the coaches and all the athletic directors I've come in contact with ..."

It's going to be tougher to replace Texas Stadium as a playoff venue, if not in prestige, then in sheer volume. By Saturday night, Texas Stadium will have hosted 27 playoff games in a five-week span.

The good news is the Cowboys say they intend to host high school games at the new stadium in Arlington.

Although nothing has been set, the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones plan to continue the tradition of letting high school athletes play in the same facility as NFL superstars.

"I think we anticipate continuing to do that, but it's still something we're working through from our side from an operational perspective," Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels said. "The details haven't been ironed out, but the commitment is still there."

There has been some concern that the new stadium could be too expensive to host high school games.

Daniels and Hardy shot down that theory.

"Having the high school games at Texas Stadium hasn't been about the revenues side of it," Daniels said. "It's about giving high school athletes the opportunity to live the dream of playing at Texas Stadium."

Affordability is one reason why Texas Stadium has remained such a popular playoff destination for high schools.

"You don't get rich on $500 rent," Hardy said. "It's about young people."

Logistically, the new stadium could be a different animal, but Hardy said he hasn't heard a negative word from area coaches and athletic directors about playing in Arlington.

The UIL seems interested in playing its 5A state title games next year at the new stadium. The 5A games are at Houston's Reliant Stadium this year, but next year's site has not been determined.

"We intend to take our state championships to Dallas, depending on whether or not their NFL schedule allows for it," UIL spokesperson Kim Rogers said.

Playing high school games at the Cowboys' home is important, if only because there aren't a lot of large venues available in the immediate area. Two years ago, the Southlake Carroll-Euless Trinity playoff game drew 46,339 – and that was when they stopped counting tickets at halftime.

The Cotton Bowl has been out of the high school football business for years. Its grass surface is a turnoff to most coaches because of the tricky weather in November and December. TCU's Amon Carter Stadium also has a grass surface.

SMU hopes to make Ford Stadium more of an option for high school games. It hosted one playoff game this year and had more lined up, but the teams that booked the stadium didn't advance.

Ford Stadium also hosted the Tom Landry Classic doubleheader at the start of the season.

Because it's on a college campus surrounded by a neighborhood, SMU couldn't host the volume of games Texas Stadium could. But Ford Stadium's 32,000-seat capacity, artificial turf and new facilities should make it a bigger player.

"We're trying to get the word out to make it a viable situation for all the area schools," said Tam Hollingshead, SMU's director of high school relations. "We think we could easily accommodate a game on Friday night and two on Saturday."

Once the details with the new Cowboys stadium are completed, it hopefully will not be the end of an era for high school football but the start of a new one.

Hardy recently hosted a dinner for Texas Stadium's high school clients as a sort of farewell tribute. Nearly 100 area coaches and administrators gathered for a picture on the star at the 50-yard line.

"I think that we've done a good job with high schools," Hardy said. "And they know we care."

That is why there is no way that the new Texas Stadium could ever hope to have grass and why it is 100% NOT doable.

[canallon91]

any new pics from the inside?

[plasticterminator]

So in summary what you are saying is americans cannot grow grass at any level and because they are useless at this all sportsfields should be replaced with a plastic carpet.
I would tend to agree with the first part and it just confirms my opinion that american sports technology is years behind that in europe and asia even. GOOD LUCK

[Arist]

No, Football is to ruff for real grass to be grown year round. By the end of the season you are left with a horrible surface.

[BuffaloHoya]

Originally Posted by Arist

No, Football is to ruff for real grass to be grown year round. By the end of the season you are left with a horrible surface.

That isn't true at all if you live in a climate where grass can grow year round (Miami, Tampa, Arizona, San Diego, etc).

But Artist is right... unless the Cowboys were to introduce a retractable FIELD to the mix, they HAVE to use an artificial surface because of the number and type of events other than the 10 Cowboys games that will be held at the new stadium every year.

And to get back to our discussion, Artist, my point wasn't that the 'boys SHOULD use a grass field, just that if they so chose it would be do-able. That's all. Look what I wrote in my SECOND post:

"But like I acknowledged in my original post, the fact they are NOT aiming for a retractable field and the fact the venue will be used for more than just football and the field area will be trampled on constantly, I think artificial is probably the way to go."

Trust me... we are in agreement on the need for artificial turf here. I was merely pointing out that if Dallas wanted to use grass, it was completely do-able (they could have engineered a retractable field at the one end where the outdoor plaza will sit, for instance).

[BuffaloHoya]

To get away from the pointless grass vs. turf debate, does anyone have any facts and figures on the new stadium layout?

Specifically, how many seats are in the lower bowl, that second section at the top of the lower bowl, club level, upper deck, how many SEATS the 200-300 or so suites are likely to encompass, etc?

[Arist]

ummmm... I would wait till completion for the exact seat manifest.