NFL just posted a job opening for a Senior Director of Field Research and Stadium Projects.
Job Description
The Sr. Director of Fields, Field Research and Stadium Projects will lead and be on-site for all neutral site games to oversee all field-related planning and will liaise with member clubs to maintain high standards of excellence of field surface. This individual will lead all surface research, whether natural or synthetic, manage consultant experts as well as direct engagement with manufacturers, other sports leagues and the 32 clubs. In addition, this individual will collaborate on internal processes, project management, stadium and game day preparations, and issue tracking/reporting.
Responsibilities:
Field Research Workstreams and Committees
- Liaise with Health & Safety, as well as 3rd party consultants, on improved testing/tracking options and protocols
- Oversee NFL-NFLPA Joint Mandatory Practices for fields/playing surfaces and liaise with Management Council on updates/modifications
- Joint Surface Committee research and support
- Lead team responsible for overseeing and executing field maintenance plans during Halftime rehearsals at Super Bowl
International & Neutral Site Games
- Lead field surface project plans for practice and game fields for all Neutral Site Games (International Series, Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, etc.) to ensure consistency across all games.
- Procure and facilitate storage of all necessary equipment and tools for field preparation (e.g., paint machines, blowers, mowers, grow lights, field and bench area tarps, grow blankets, etc.)
- Maintain and manage field equipment warehouse inventory and shipping for all neutral site and international games
- Oversee League-hired grounds crew for all Neutral Site Games including scheduling, communications, onboarding paperwork, travel, housing, etc.
- Oversee budget for all field projects
- Identify, source and oversee any ancillary support required (e.g., fertilizer, sand, specialty equipment).
- Lead efforts with Sod Farms for all neutral site games
Stadium Operations & Game Day Support
- Primary responsibility for sharing turf/field research with clubs to aid them in field selection, replacement, preparation etc. This includes practice surfaces as well
- Part of a team that Liaises with 32 Club Field mangers to ensure day-to-day compliance with field policies & best practices
- Visit and review all new field installs, field issues/concerns, oversee compliance with NFL-NFLPA CBA/Joint Mandatory Practices
- Advise Clubs that have new stadium projects and/or renovation plans on field surfaces, best practices, field dimensions, etc. and conduct on-site walkthroughs during construction phases to ensure construction details comply with the renderings
- Review and edit relevant sections of the Game Ops manual.
- Attend periodic in-person meetings, including the Combine, Field Managers meeting, etc.
Bro think about how much it rains in the UK (hint, the entire country averages more rain than Seattle). It’s a piss poor excuse.
NFL could only host 3 games in the UK at Wembley because 3 games is all that the grass surface could withstand before too much damage was done to the middle of the pitch (where the linemen all churn up the grass). If you go back and watch the UK games at Wembley, you’ll see just how muddy it gets on a wet day. Simply put 🏈 does way more damage to grass in a game than ⚽.
The reason the new Tottenham stadium is turf for NFL despite having a grass surface for association football is precisely because it’s too wet and the daylight hours are too short to maintain grass for NFL when there are games at least once a week.
Furthermore, a lot of ⚽ pitches are hybrid with synthetic fibres mixed into the grass - similar to Lambeau. If Seattle is to go to grass, it’ll only be possible like Lambeau - hybrid grass with synthetic fibres and zero use outside weekly 🏈 meaning the Sounders will have to play elsewhere.