climates

Pitch perfect: Developing natural grass for the World Cup

nglobix@gmail.com1 day ago05 mins

This year’s World Cup has been smashing viewership records. Hosting the tournament has prompted Americans to tune in and turn out for soccer like never before. The telecast for this afternoon’s final match, between Spain and Argentina, is expected to set another record. But for one man in Tennessee, this whole tournament has been about…

Pitch perfect: Developing natural grass for the World Cup

nglobix@gmail.com2 days ago01 mins

FIFA rules state that World Cup matches must be played on pitches with natural grass. For this year’s tournament, where some matches were scheduled in stadiums with artificial turf, special varieties of grass were required to withstand playing conditions and differing climates. Conor Knighton examines how scientifically-engineered sod was deployed, sometimes in domed stadiums, to…