At the NFL’s annual owners meeting, Art Rooney II spoke with the media about a controversial issue from last season that is finally being addressed. For years, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh football team have shared Acrisure Stadium, and the playing surface has often taken a beating, especially when both teams played on the same weekend.
Last season, however, the field conditions reached what many considered their worst point in years. Several Steelers players publicly criticized the poor surface, and the issue was reflected in the NFLPA’s annual report card, where the team received an F- for its home playing surface.
After years of calls for change, a new turf blend will finally be installed for the 2026 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Acrisure Stadium to receive new turf after failing NFLPA grade
The new turf being installed will be Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass, replacing the Kentucky bluegrass that has been used at Acrisure Stadium in previous years. Developed by Oklahoma State University, Tahoma 31 is known for being more resistant to cold weather and heavy wear, which makes it a much better option for a field that gets used as much as this one does.
It also recovers much faster after games, which is important when multiple events are being played on the field within the same weekend. Compared to Kentucky bluegrass, it simply holds up better and grows back faster after getting torn up.
With both the Steelers and Pitt Panthers sharing the field, sometimes playing on the same weekend multiple times during the season, the switch honestly makes a lot of sense. The field has been criticized for years because of how quickly it gets beaten up, so moving to a more durable type of grass feels like a change that should have happened sooner.
Other NFL teams that use this same type of grass include the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders. What stands out the most is that both the Eagles and the Dolphins also share their fields with college teams.
While Miami obviously has a warmer climate that makes it easier to maintain a field, Philadelphia plays in colder weather, much like Pittsburgh, yet its playing surface does not seem to have nearly as many issues as Acrisure Stadium has had over the years.
It is a change that has been needed for a long time, and after all the complaints from last season, it finally seems like the right move has been made.