SANTA CLARA -- Count wide receiver Bruce Ellington among the 49ers not concerned, at least publicly, whether Levi's Stadium's new grass will hold up in Sunday's exhibition against the San Diego Chargers.

And Ellington is among the players who slipped during an abbreviated practice Wednesday that prompted the original sod's replacement.

"It's just grass. Stuff like that happens," Ellington said of Wednesday's fall, which didn't result in an injury. "They'll get it fixed."

New grass was being installed Friday after the 4-month-old sod got torn up after Wednesday's abbreviated practice.

Coach Jim Harbaugh expressed similar confidence that the temporary sod will hold up for Sunday's exhibition, after which he said that grass will be replaced by a more permanent solution.

A truck loaded with sod waits to enter Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 22, 2014. (LiPo Ching/Bay Area News Group) (LiPo Ching)

"The action's been taken," Harbaugh said. "We're refitting, regrouping, retooling. A new field is going in.

"The organization, we can count on them to do things at the highest level, and that's what we're in the process of now."

The team hasn't confirmed the fate of other upcoming events at Levi's Stadium, including two high school football games next Friday night and a Mexico-Chile soccer game Sept. 6. The 49ers' regular-season home opener is Sept. 14 against the Chicago Bears, on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."

Fellow wideout Stevie Johnson was another player who tumbled during Wednesday's practice, and although he aggravated an injury, coach Jim Harbaugh expected Johnson to participate in Friday's session on the regular training fields next to the stadium.

The rest is here:
Jim Harbaugh, 49ers players undaunted by Levi's Stadium turf woes

49ers chief operating officer Al Guido says new sod will be installed at Levis Stadium by the end of Friday and be ready for Sundays exhibition against the San Diego Chargers.

After that game, the field will be pulled up again for inspection, and that sod might be placed back down or replaced by another strain of grass.

The sod that arrived at Levis Stadium at 4 a.m. Friday is 1 1/2 inches thicker than the Bermuda Bandera that was put in four months ago at the $1.3 billion stadium.

As a fallout of the sod issue, Levis Stadium will not host a pair of high school football games next Friday. Instead, the 49ers plan to host those four teams in late October for eight games: Oct. 10 features Santa Clara vs. Wilcox, then Elk Grove vs. Jesuit; Oct. 11: Oakdale vs. Manteca, then James Logan vs. De La Salle.

The Mexico-Chile friendly soccer game will indeed go on as schedule Sept. 6, Guido said.

Changing to artificial grass, or FieldTurf, is not an option being explored.

Here is the start of his question-and-answer session with the media:

Where do things stand now?

Were putting the finishing touches on laying the sod down now. We got it out past the numbers and theyre moving really quick. It should be done in a few hours here.

Its a deeper cut now?

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49ers COO Al Guido confident sod OK for Sunday s game, but will be evaluated after; FieldTurf not option; prep games ...

Count wide receiver Bruce Ellington among the 49ers not concerned, at least publicly, whether Levis Stadiums new grass will hold up in Sundays exhibition against the San Diego Chargers.

And Ellington is among the players who slipped during an abbreviated practice Wednesday that prompted the original sods replacement.

Its just grass. Stuff like that happens, Ellington said of Wednesdays fall, which didnt result in an injury. Theyll get it fixed.

New grass was being installed Friday after the 4-month-old sod got torn up afterWednesdaysabbreviated practice.

Coach Jim Harbaugh expressed similar confidencethat the temporary sod will hold up for Sundays exhibition, after which he said that grass will be replaced by a more permanent solution.

The actions been taken, Harbaugh said. Were refitting, regrouping, retooling. A new field is going in.

The organization, we can count on them to do things at the highest level, and thats what were in the process of now.

The team hasnt confirmed the fate of other upcoming events at Levis Stadium, including two high school football games next Friday night and a Mexico-Chile soccer game Sept. 6. The 49ers regular-season home opener is Sept. 14 against the Chicago Bears, on NBCs Sunday Night Football.

Fellow wideout Stevie Johnson was another player who tumbled during Wednesdays practice, and although he aggravated an injury, coach Jim Harbaugh expected Johnson to participate in Fridays session on the regular training fields next to the stadium.

Several players expressed similar confidence in the new sod, which Harbaugh said will be torn up after Sundays exhibition and replaced by a more permanent field.

More:
WR Bruce Ellington sums up players thoughts on sod: They ll get it fixed

This is what the sod looked like at the 49ers preseason home opener. (CBSSports.com)

There's a lot of things that $1.2 billion can buy you, but apparently, it can't buy nice grass. After only playing one game at their new $1.2 billion home, the 49ers have been forced to replace the sod at Levi's Stadium.

The team started the process on Thursday and will definitely will have to have the job finished by Sunday because the 49ers are scheduled to host the Chargers in a Week 3 preseason game.

Going, going, gone! Entire field turf removed from #LevisStadium Team not saying what they're doing. From Sky7HD. pic.twitter.com/UtGiSs6ZUC

The sod seemed to look fine for San Francisco's preseason home opener against Denver on Aug. 17, but things took a turn for the worse on Wednesday. Coach Jim Harbaugh pulled his players off the field during practice after several players were slipping, according to CSN Bay Area.

The team ended up leaving the Levi's Stadium field, which was a disappointment to the many fans who were attending the 49ers final open practice of the season.

"The 49ers organization would like to apologize to any fans who were inconvenienced by today's practice ending early," the team said in a statement on Wednesday night. "We have determined the appropriate measures necessary to have the field ready for Sunday and look forward to hosting the San Diego Chargers."

The 'appropriate measures' apparently included tearing out all of the grass at Levi's Stadium, which the team started doing on Thursday morning.

Ironically, the Bandera Bermuda grass that was installed at Levi's in mid-April was picked because it was supposed to be able to withstand heavy foot traffic.

#49ers turf installer in April: It's exceptionally wear-resistant & quick to recover. Divots should be almost nonexistent in this stadium."

Here is the original post:
Sod story: 49ers replacing new stadium grass

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SANTA CLARA (KCBS) Crews at Levis Stadium begantearing up the grass on the new field Thursday morning after turf problems Wednesday prompted the team to relocate a practice session to the teams training facility because of the slippery sod.

The 49ers are replacing the sod after just one preseason game at the newly-opened $1.3 billion facilityand just three days ahead of their second preseason game Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.The team issued a statement Wednesday saying the field will be playable for Sundays game against theChargers.

It appeared the portion to be replaced will be limitied to the area between the football hashmarks and the goal lines.

The Levis Stadium field will be getting a lot of workahead of the 49ers first regular season home game on September 14 against the Chicago Bears. On August 29th, there will be two high school football games on the field and on September 8 Mexico will face Chile in an exhibition soccer match.

READ MORE

On Wednesday, head coach Jim Harbaugh abruptly stopped practice and pulled the team from the new field after a wide receiver lost his footing and fell hard running a pass route on uneven turf.

The sod laid in April still hasnt taken rootdespite assurances in spring from West Coast Turf that this new blend of Bermuda grass would be great for football.

In April, spokesman Greg Dunn promised there would be more than adequate time for the new blend of Bermuda grass known as Bandera Bermuda to grow properly and be ready for play when the stadium opened.

Read the rest here:
49ers Tear Out Slippery Sod At Levis Stadium Ahead Of Sunday Game

Get Breaking News First

Receive News, Politics, and Entertainment Headlines Each Morning.

SANTA CLARA (KCBS) Crews at Levis Stadium begantearing up the grass on the new field Thursday morning after turf problems Wednesday prompted the team to relocate a practice session to the teams training facility because of the slippery sod.

The 49ers are replacing the sod after just one preseason game at the newly-opened $1.3 billion facilityand just three days ahead of their second preseason game Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.The team issued a statement Wednesday saying the field will be playable for Sundays game against theChargers.

It appeared the portion to be replaced will be limitied to the area between the football hashmarks and the goal lines.

The Levis Stadium field will be getting a lot of workahead of the 49ers first regular season home game on September 14 against the Chicago Bears. On August 29th, there will be two high school football games on the field and on September 8 Mexico will face Chile in an exhibition soccer match.

READ MORE

On Wednesday, head coach Jim Harbaugh abruptly stopped practice and pulled the team from the new field after a wide receiver lost his footing and fell hard running a pass route on uneven turf.

The sod laid in April still hasnt taken rootdespite assurances in spring from West Coast Turf that this new blend of Bermuda grass would be great for football.

In April, spokesman Greg Dunn promised there would be more than adequate time for the new blend of Bermuda grass known as Bandera Bermuda to grow properly and be ready for play when the stadium opened.

Excerpt from:
49ers Replacing Slippery Sod At Levis Stadium Ahead Of Sunday Exhibition Game Against Chargers

SANTA CLARA -- When the 49ers were getting ready to open their immaculate new $1.3 billion stadium, coach Jim Harbaugh compared the team's new field to the fairways at the famed golf course where the Masters is played. The team and its partners billed the new grass as a super-resistant strain capable of withstanding the pounding of 300-pound lineman, saying divots would be "virtually nonexistent."

But as it turns out, the $1.4 million playing field installed four months ago could not even withstand its first week of NFL football.

The team ripped up the grass running down the middle of the stadium and began installing a new playing surface on Thursday, a day after Harbaugh cut short a public practice at the stadium, disappointing 10,000 fans in attendance.

The field was beat up -- with some players falling Wednesday -- following the Niners first game at the stadium three days prior, a preseason exhibition against the Denver Broncos. The team apologized to fans who made the trip to the training camp session and said the field would be ready for Sunday's preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, but declined to comment further.

"That shouldn't happen. One game shouldn't have caused it to fall apart," said Kevin Morris, executive director of the National Turf Grass Evaluation Program, a leading nonprofit that tests grasses. "It's a problem for the team for sure."

The thick-cut sod the team is installing is meant as a temporary fix. It is used occasionally at other sports stadiums that are beat up at the end of a season, or following a concert, but cannot generate the deep roots needed for the field to withstand a beating long term.

It's unclear how the team will sod the field for its regular-season opener, a Sept. 14 primetime game against the Chicago Bears on national TV, or if the sand base contributed to the issues.

It's not the first problem with the field. Last month, trucks carrying heavy equipment for a black-tie VIP gala featuring a John Legend concert damaged part of the area near the south end zone. At the time, Niners executives brushed off the damage and said it would be fixed quickly. But this week, more than a month after the concert, there was still a large brown stain behind and inside part of the end zone.

On Wednesday, fans at the third and final free Levi's Stadium practice were confused when it was called off 45 minutes in, after wide receivers Stevie Johnson and Bruce Ellington and several other players slipped and created new divots. Coaches had been digging into the divots that had been replaced on the field with patches of sod, and team executives huddled on the field to examine its condition, which some fans weren't exactly impressed with.

"Once we sat down in our seats, I kind of chuckled -- look at this great stadium, and the money spent, and look how crappy the field is," said Rick Randall, 48, of Manteca, who was at Wednesday's practice. "I was kind of expecting nice, green lush grass. It didn't look much better than Candlestick."

See the original post:
49ers sparkling new Levi's Stadium sees field fail, new grass goes in

The 49ers are going to have some dirt and grass stains on their brand new Levis, as theyre already replacing the sod in their state-of-the-art stadium.

After one concert, a soccer match and one preseason NFL game, the field was already in such dire shape the 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh pulled his team off the field last night during a practice.

According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, crews were at work this morning stripping up the old sod to put in new, in advance of the next game there Sunday.

The previous grass was installed in April, and didnt root down well enough to keep multiple players from slipping and sod to come up in chunks at last nights public practice.

The 49ers issued a statement Wednesday night saying the team haddetermined the appropriate measures necessary to have the field ready for Sunday and look forward to hosting the San Diego Chargers.

They have more than that on tap, as two high school games are schedule there on Aug. 29, followed by a soccer match between Mexico and Chile on Sept. 6 before the regular season opener against the Bears on Sept. 14.

Such quick turnarounds for sod arent uncommon, but its still a dramatic blemish for abrand-new building.

Photo credit: KNTV

Excerpt from:
49ers already replacing the sod in their new stadium

Get Breaking News First

Receive News, Politics, and Entertainment Headlines Each Morning.

SANTA CLARA (KCBS) Crews at Levis Stadium begantearing up the grass on the new field Thursday morning after turf problems Wednesday prompted the team to relocate a practice session to the teams training facility because of the slippery sod.

The 49ers are replacing the sod after just one preseason game at the newly-opened $1.3 billion facilityand just three days ahead of their second preseason game Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.The team issued a statement Wednesday saying the field will be playable for Sundays game against theChargers.

It appeared the portion to be replaced will be limitied to the area between the football hashmarks and the goal lines.

The Levis Stadium field will be getting a lot of workahead of the 49ers first regular season home game on September 14 against the Chicago Bears. On August 29th, there will be two high school football games on the field and on September 8 Mexico will face Chile in an exhibition soccer match.

READ MORE

On Wednesday, head coach Jim Harbaugh abruptly stopped practice and pulled the team from the new field after a wide receiver lost his footing and fell hard running a pass route on uneven turf.

The sod laid in April still hasnt taken rootdespite assurances in spring from West Coast Turf that this new blend of Bermuda grass would be great for football.

In April, spokesman Greg Dunn promised there would be more than adequate time for the new blend of Bermuda grass known as Bandera Bermuda to grow properly and be ready for play when the stadium opened.

Read more here:
Slippery Sod At Levis Stadium Forces 49ers To Relocate Practice

Updated AUG 21, 2014 3:59p ET

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- The San Francisco 49ers were working to re-sod the field at new Levi's Stadium on Thursday, a day after a public workout was cut short and moved to the regular practice fields because players were slipping.

San Francisco hosts the San Diego Chargers at the $1.2 billion stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. PDT, and the team has said it expects to have the field ready in time. KTVU's news chopper showed images of the sod replacement in some areas of the turf Thursday.

"The 49ers organization would like to apologize to any fans who were inconvenienced by today's practice ending early," the team said Wednesday. "We have determined the appropriate measures necessary to have the field ready for Sunday and look forward to hosting the San Diego Chargers."

Coach Jim Harbaugh moved his team out of the stadium Wednesday about an hour into the practice.

"It's a beautiful field for a first-year field," veteran placekicker Phil Dawson said this week. "Those guys are working their brains out to get that thing ready."

Dawson missed wide right on first-half field goal attempts from 55 and 44 yards in Sunday's 34-0 loss to the Denver Broncos. He said there are always adjustments with new grass. The field looked dry in places and chunks of sod could be seen missing in places where it apparently didn't root properly.

"We're all kind of in foreign territory here and learning as we go," Dawson said. "There were a lot of new experiences, not just wind but the footing on the field. It's the first time the big boys have been out there and trudging around and seeing how the field held up. There's a whole lot going on all at once. ... If your technique requires a six-inch step and your six-inch step goes in a divot or something like that, it can affect things. That's not unique to fields we play on. I have pretty good experience playing on fields that are less than ideal, so I'll just have to draw on those experiences."

San Francisco's regular-season home opener is a Sept. 14 prime-time matchup against Chicago. The 49ers are scoreless in their last seven quarters and have been outscored 57-3 this preseason. They lost 23-3 at Baltimore on Aug. 7.

West Coast Turf has provided the 49ers' sod at both Candlestick Park and Levi's Stadium. It is not unheard of around the league for teams to re-sod fields midweek or in short order, for example between a college bowl game and NFL game.

Read more:
Already? Loose sod at new Levi's Stadium being removed