As the Chicago Bears prepare for the upcoming NFL season, it’s been the team’s home field that’s stolen much of the headlines this preseason. Fans blasted Soldier Field’s poor playing conditions this month and Chicago kicker Cairo Santos revealed that he practices at poorly maintained public parks to simulate the field’s poor surface.
But in a bit of good news for the Bears, it looks like the team will be getting a whole new playing surface just in time for the start of the 2022 season.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Soldier Field management said in a statement that a “long-planned full resodding of the field is scheduled for early September using a new Bermuda grass system requested by the Bears.” The new grass system will be completed ahead of the team’s season-opening home showdown with the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 11.
While the new grass will certainly be a welcomed change for the Bears, it’s just one small change the team would like to see in order to remain in the stadium for the foreseeable future.
The team has recently considered moving to nearby Chicago suburb Arlington Heights, In response to the Bears’ interest in moving outside the city, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed aggressive remodels to Soldier Field, which even includes a dome.
While those renovations are likely quite a few years away, a usable playing surface is a good start.
