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I think most Commanders fans are familiar with the special playing surface installed at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, but if you aren’t, take a look at this short video to get an introduction
to the most technologically advanced sports field in the world.
This is the stadium where the Commanders played in Week 11 of the 2025 season, so the team and its owners got an up-close and personal look at things.
Consider this information about the playing surface:
Worrying about, or even bemoaning the state of the turf, has become history.
Like many other mega sports venues, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is not conducive to a natural turf surface. The high stands that completely encircle the field disrupt the airflow to the turf and deprive it of the much-needed sunlight. Technology can provide a solution, but only smart and well-researched technology can make a difference. Where bringing in large fans can supplement oxygen and displace heat, replicating the sun takes more than placing a lighting rig over the field. This becomes really important when the grass is kept in a greenhouse at times when the stadium bowl is used for other events, or for events that run over multiple days.
The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is owned by Real Madrid FC. To maintain and even improve its position as one the world’s wealthiest clubs, the club recently had the outdated football-specific stadium converted into a modern, multipurpose events temple. All facilities were upgraded and a retractable roof was added. The main aim of all the works was to increase spectator comfort as well as capacity. Both the architect and the event planners tasked with maximising the use of the venue were given a freehand. Neither had to worry about the prerogatives for a healthy turf or the protection of the surface. In fact, both had to ensure that the venue could and would be enjoyed as often as possible, even if this included hosting non-sporting events. A 30-metre-deep greenhouse underneath the pitch has been fitted with an array of high-tech technology to provide the turf with all the necessities to remain perfect.
The key technology inside the underground greenhouse is the RHENAC Sports CLS LED grass grow lights. This technology distinguishes itself, as it can exactly replicate the Complete Light Spectrum (CLS).
A red colour will help the grass seeds to germinate and increase biomass. Blue light will increase the sward density and enhance the root growth. Blue colour light limits the growth length of the grass, and, as a side effect, the grass’s susceptibility to diseases.
Thanks to the CLS LED technology from RHENAC Sports LED, the pitch of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium can remain inside the greenhouse for as long as needed, thereby enabling the stadium operator to also utilise the stadium bowl for hosting non-sporting events that draw mass spectators.
Light settings can even be adjusted to supplement the grass with the light necessary to remain healthy but that doesn’t stimulate the growth in length. In doing so, the RHENAC Sports LED units also contribute to the bottom line as this will reduce the need for other equipment or activities. Reducing the need for trimming the surface also prevents the grass plant from getting damaged, and, as such, falling prey to fungi and diseases.
Washington’s football team did not enjoy ideal field conditions for many seasons at Landover. The new challenges of an enclosed stadium in Washington DC from 2030 onwards — especially with announced plans to hold upwards of 200 events per year at the new stadium — could mean a switch to an artificial playing surface like so many other NFL stadiums.
The technology in use at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium seems to offer a great, if expensive, solution.
What do you think Josh Harris and his partners should do about the field in the new stadium, which is expected to open in just 4 more NFL seasons? Should the new stadium be built with this state-of-the-art technology?
