As the first of eight FIFA games comes to Lincoln Financial Field for the Club World Cup on June 16, Keith Salmon of Tuckahoe Turf Farms in Hammontown, New Jersey, is putting the finishing touches on his perfect pitch.
The turf farm, which already makes turf fields for MetLife and Gilette stadiums, has worked with FIFA, the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University to create a field fit for the world soccer tournament.
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WATCH HERE"Working with the accredited universities on the science behind the grass, the good, the bad getting, just getting the whole thing ironed out to make sure that when the time comes everything is ready to go," Salmon said.
Tuckahoe Turf Farms began working with FIFA in 2020 on creating turfs for the 2025 Club World Cup and 2026 World Cup games in the United States.
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SIGN UP Salmon said he has been laboring over the turf for the past year, and is ready to have it harvested this Sunday.
"You might not see it just by looking at the grass itself, but every single thing on this field is specific towards the livelihood of the grass," he said.
FIFA maintains specific pitch quality standards so every team gets an even playing field no matter whose growing it or where it grows.
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"We need to simulate all the conditions the we will face in the 16 host cities and find strategies to reach a uniformity in look and feel, but also playability, across all the 16 venues," said Heimo Schirgi, the FIFA chief operating officer for the World Cup.
The turf grown at Tuckahoe Turf Farms will be taken to the Linc on Monday, where it will be evaluated by FIFA and the farming team ahead of the June 16 match.
As for what happens to the turf once the World Cup is over, Salmon said he is hoping to recycle it and have it put into good use for years to come.
"Putting the material back in the field and trying to create some thing out of the plastic fibers," Salmon said. "We are also looking at local venues of high schools and recreation municipalities who would be interested in using this once it’s done at the stadium."
