Atlético Mineiro announced that Arena MRV will start using entirely synthetic turf instead of natural grass next season. The club’s intention is to maintain the quality of the field throughout the year even with the additional events that the stadium may host.
The change is a long-standing desire of the board, which has received complaints about the arena’s pitch since the venue opened in 2023. Mainly due to the stadium’s architecture, which prevents certain areas of the field from receiving sunlight, Atlético was unable to let the grass with acceptable conditions for play.
With authorization for the exchange given by the city of Belo Horizonte since October, the team from Minas Gerais will only start the works in the next few weeks. The club plans to have everything ready for the start of the Brazilian Championship, at the end of March. Before that, Atlético will compete in the State Championship.
With the decision, the team joins two other Serie A clubs that also use artificial flooring in their stadiums: Palmeiras and Botafogo. The target of criticism at the beginning of 2024, the lawn at Allianz Parque, Casa Alviverde, led to the arena being closed during the Campeonato Paulista. The lack of grass maintenance increased the risk of injury to players.
On the other hand, Engenhão’s “carpet” is often praised by rivals. Instead of filling the pitch with thermoplastic, a material that caused problems at the Palmeiras stadium, the company that takes care of the Botafoguense field opted for cork filling, which increases the softness of the ground.
Survey carried out by Estadão in 2023 showed that Botafogo’s performance in home games increased after the adoption of synthetic turf.
