Each expansion team has a long list of tasks that need to be completed before arrival, and Austin FC is in the process of checking a big one off. The Texas-based team is installing the pitch at its soccer specific stadium this week as it continues to get ready to join Major League Soccer in 2021.
The grass Austin opted for is Platinum TE Seashore Paspalum, which the club got from Scottsdale, Arizona. This species of grass was picked to withstand the demands of an MLS season, and also the shade created by the stadium design. It is the first time this species of grass will be used in MLS, but it will be used at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The grass took six months to grow in Scottsdale, and was recently brought to Austin in 15 refrigerated trucks. The installation will happen over three days, and was scheduled to be finished on Friday night. In the end, it will be 115 yards by 75 yards, about the average size of a standard MLS pitch.
The stadium for the incoming expansion side is currently scheduled to open in 2021.
Check out some visuals of the turf installation in the new venue above and below, courtesy of Austin FC.
