Patriots' Brenden Schooler shares his opinion on grass vs. turf as Gillette Stadium undergoes changes

Gillette Stadium will temporarily replace its artificial turf with a grass playing surface to comply with FIFA regulations for upcoming soccer matches. The change follows a broader pattern across World Cup host venues, where many synthetic-turf stadiums have been converted to grass for the tournament. Patriots safety and special-teams player Brenden Schooler prefers grass, citing more “give,” less pain when falling, and fewer issues like turf burn. He also links turf to higher injury risk, including situations where players get rolled up on and knees or ankles become stuck. He reports that after playing on turf, his knees and ankles ache, and he would choose grass for training and play.

"“Just speaking personally for myself, I love playing on grass,” Schooler said. “I think it's got more give on it, doesn't hurt as bad when you fall. When it's freezing out, it doesn't cut you up as bad as turf does. You don't have to worry about turf burn. And I think from doing my own research and looking at data and stuff, I think turf - you have the unfortunate thing that you kind of get caught up, and guys get rolled up on, and your knee gets, or ankle gets stuck. And like I was saying, grass has got a little bit more give.”"

"“You talk about longevity, you talk about injuries, you talk about, you know, wanting to make sure your joints feel great. Playing a game on turf. After, like, not gonna lie - my knees ache, my ankles ache. It's a little bit more harsh on your body. So, if I have any opportunity to go train, work out, play, run around on grass, I would probably prefer grass.”"

"“Beyond its temporary name change to 'Boston Stadium' for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the Patriots ' home stadium will also temporarily replace its artificial turf with a grass playing surface in order to comply with FIFA's regulations for soccer matches.”"

"“Of the 11 host stadiums in the U.S. that will host FIFA World Cup matches over the next few months, seven of them have synthetic turf - all of which have been replaced by a grass pitch for the upcoming tournament.”"

Read at Boston.com