Reason for the first visit of the National Football League (NFL) to Brazil in 2024, the lawn of Neo Chemistry Arena recently underwent a renovation – the largest since its inauguration, in 2014, according to World Sports, the company responsible for maintaining the Corinthians field in Itaquera.
Next Friday (5), the São Paulo East Zone stadium will be the scene of the Football League again, receiving the clash between Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, at 9 pm (Brasília). It will be the second match of NFL on Brazilian soil.
The restoration operation was already planned by the alvinegro club regardless of NFL’s return, but could only be performed between the second half of June and early July, during the stoppage of the national football calendar because of the Club World Cup, played in the United States.
With the stadium without games for more than a month, it was possible to replace a synthetic fiber that makes up the “pure Ryegrass” lawn, also used in European leagues stadiums, such as the English Championship and the Spanish Championship.
“When this fiber wears out, the field gets more slippery. Corinthians players themselves pointed to this. With the reform, the falls should decrease by up to 90%,” said João Paulo de Abreu, agronomist responsible for the neo chemistry lawn arena and representative of World Sports.
According to him, the renewal of the material brought gains especially in the traction – the contact of the boot with the grass, which guarantees firmness and stability to athletes. It was precisely the lack of stability that generated criticism in the duel in which Philadelphia Eagles beat Green Bay Packers 34-29 in September last year at the first NFL experience in Brazil.
Throughout the match, players from both teams slipped, a problem that repercussions even outside the football. LeBron James, basketball star, wrote on social networks: “Man, this field is a M…”.
Some athletes, however, relativized the situation. “It wasn’t so bad. We changed the boots in the middle of the game and got better. Packets also played on the same lawn, no excuse,” said Aj Brown, “Wide Receiver” of the Eagles.
According to Abreu, the teams had been guided by the Arena administration on the most appropriate type of locks for the Corinthians field, but did not follow the recommendation. Before defining Itaquera as the headquarters of the first match of NFL in South America, League representatives made several technical visits to the stadium and considered it ideal for the event.
“I don’t know why they did not start the match with the suggested locks,” said the agronomist.
Since February this year, new surveys have been made after confirmation of the second game in Brazil. This week, Nick Capas, director of NFL responsible for the quality of the lawns in all stadiums of the League, landed in the country to follow the latest preparations.
This Sunday (31), Cappas will attend the classic between Corinthians and Palmeiras, for the Brazilian Championship, and, right after the match, NFL professionals will take over the operation of the stadium.
“Our team is there working with Corinthians to ensure the best field surface possible, and we are confident in all the way for this year,” said Peter O’reilly, NFL executive vice president. “We are always focused on providing the best experience for our teams in all aspects, and certainly the quality of the lawn is a key component of it.”
In football, the field of the alvinegro team receives praise even from rivals, such as Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras coach. He even stated that “the best lawn in Brazil is Corinthians”, recognizing the quality of the grass and suggesting that other Brazilian stadiums seek this level.
The terrain of neo chemistry arena is often described as “fast” – the ball rolls with fluidity, favoring an agile game. This effect, however, does not apply to football, in which the ball has little contact with the lawn. For NFL, traction is the most important.
