Growing World Cup Pitches Indoors | RAW Stadia | Turf Tech Summit 2026

How do you deliver an exceptional natural grass pitch inside an NFL stadium, built on a concrete pad, with a match every few days? Reece Watson, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at RAW Stadia and former Head Groundsman at Arsenal FC, shares his experience managing temporary pitches at the World Cup in Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles. Reece explains how the pitches were built to a FIFA specification on top of artificial turf and concrete, and why stitched hybrid was used in Dallas and Houston and a hybrid carpet system in LA. He talks about the challenges of growing grass indoors: managing light, humidity and water, suspended grow lights in Dallas, and the black layer that started to form. With firmness, moisture and density data from all three venues, he shows how the same construction gave completely different results, what an opening ceremony does to a pitch, and why sharing data between teams made everyone better. He closes with a look at the future: the pitch as an engineered system, retractable and temporary pitches, and why groundsmen need to be involved from the start of stadium design. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction – Reece Watson, RAW Stadia 1:54 The pitch is no longer just a pitch 3:13 The World Cup: Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles 4:38 Building temporary pitches in NFL stadiums 7:10 Stitched hybrid and hybrid carpet 8:29 Managing an indoor environment 9:19 Grow lights indoors 11:03 Suspended grow lights in Dallas 12:58 Creating the environment: water, humidity and black layer 14:29 Making decisions with data 16:11 Same build, different results 19:24 The opening ceremony in Los Angeles 21:07 Tracking density and advising teams on boots 22:41 Sharing data between venues 24:06 The pitch as an engineered system 26:46 Lessons from US stadiums 28:30 Peak performance, tournament long 29:40 Celebrate your wins and surround yourself with good people 31:53 Key takeaways SPEAKER Reece Watson – Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, RAW Stadia LINKS RAW Stadia: https://www.rawstadia.com/ ABOUT TURF TECH SUMMIT Turf Tech Summit brings together grounds managers, clubs, contractors and suppliers from across the world to share the latest knowledge and innovation in sports turf. Over two days, speakers from elite clubs, research and industry presented on the main stage and in the Focus Lounge, alongside indoor and outdoor exhibitions. This presentation was recorded at Turf Tech Summit 2026 at the Amex Stadium, home of Brighton & Hove Albion. Watch all presentations:    • Turf Tech Summit 2026 – All Presentations   More information: https://turftechsummit.com/ Follow Turf Tech Summit: LinkedIn:   / turftechsummit   Instagram:   / turftechsummit   Facebook:   / 1glemjg36p   The next edition will be announced soon. Subscribe to stay updated and to catch every new presentation. Watch also: Building the World Cup's Indoor Pitches – Precision Turf:    • Building the World Cup's Indoor Pitches | ...   #TurfTechSummit #WorldCup #Groundsman