Houston is converting the NFL’s Houston Texans stadium into a natural grass soccer field, protecting its streets from the mid-year heat and preparing its police force to respond in 50 languages during the World Cup.
The fourth largest city in the United States, with 2.3 million inhabitants, will host five group stage games, with teams such as Florian Wirtz’s Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Virgil van Dijk’s Netherlands.
The stadium will also host a round of 32 match and a round of 16 match in a tournament that starts in less than a month, on June 11th.
“In Houston, four-time champions Germany will face newcomers Curaçao. As the event approaches and anticipation grows, we want to ensure that Houston is ready,” said Chris Canetti, president of the organizing committee for the World Cup in Houston, on Monday (11).
In the south of the city, NRG Stadium — renamed Houston Stadium for the World Cup — is undergoing renovations to its pitch, which is normally made of synthetic grass divided by yards.
Hussain Naqi, general manager of NRG Park, the complex that houses the stadium, explained that the field was renovated, leaving spaces “to allow corners and throw-ins”.
Lawn maintenance
Naqi noted that Houston has hosted Copa América games and international club friendlies. “When this stadium was originally built, it had natural grass, so we know what we’re doing,” he said.
For this World Cup, Houston Stadium will have natural grass again, and “an under-surface aeration system has been installed to aid the growth of the turf and ensure it remains as healthy as possible throughout the competition.”
In addition, existing irrigation systems will be reactivated. On Monday, the white pipes were still visible as workers with heavy machinery covered part of the field with dirt.
Naqi explained that the organizing committee is importing from the Netherlands so-called grolites, a high-performance mineral conditioner to help grass growth.
Additionally, “the roof of the stadium will be closed; it is a cool-weather turf that is being transported from Denver, Colorado,” he added.
Heat
Although the stadium is air-conditioned, the streets of Houston are likely to be boiling in the summer, where the wind chill often approaches 40ºC.
“We’re working to adapt our public spaces to do things that help reduce ambient temperatures. And the most important elements of that are shade and greenery,” explained Kris Larson, executive director of the Houston Downtown+ organization, dedicated to the city’s revitalization.
Since last year, they have been installing what they call “cool corridors” on several downtown streets, with trees and structures that offer shade to pedestrians.
All the work needs to be completed by the start of the World Cup, and the idea, he explained, is that these structures remain as a legacy. The city will host the first match on June 14, Germany x Curaçao.
In 50 languages
Meanwhile, Houston police officers will wear chest-mounted devices that offer simultaneous translation in 50 languages to assist tourists.
The device detects the source language and translates it into English for the officer. The officer responds in English, and the device translates the response back into the listener’s original language.
“We’ve already tested it in German, in Dutch, in Chinese, in Spanish too, of course, and it works”, explained Ban Tien, head of the Metropolitan Traffic Police of Harris County, where Houston is located.
And, unlike New Jersey, where train tickets will increase eightfold, reaching US$105 (R$514) for those going to MetLife Stadium, on the outskirts of New York, Houston followed Philadelphia’s example and kept public transport prices unchanged.
“Our prices remain the same and that doesn’t change. We provide affordable transportation for everyone. That’s what makes Houston a welcoming place,” explained Anna Carpenter of METRO, the city’s public transportation agency.
The fare is US$1.25 (R$6.12) for buses and metro, and US$4.50 (R$22.03) for the bus that connects the airport to the city center.
