The San Francisco 49ers arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday to begin preparing for the Super Bowl, and they have reportedly already run into an issue.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, 49ers staffers are not pleased with the playing surface at UNLV’s facility, which is where San Francisco will be practicing ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. Natural grass was laid over the artificial turf at UNLV, and the 49ers are concerned about the firmness of the field.
A group of 49ers equipment and grounds staffers traveled to Las Vegas last week to check out the UNLV facility and expressed concerns about the grass being too soft. The 49ers are now considering alternatives, according to Jones.
The AFC is designated as the home team for this year’s Super Bowl, so the Kansas City Chiefs are practicing at the Las Vegas Raiders’ facility. The “visiting” team usually practices at the best college facility nearby, which is why the 49ers are at UNLV.
If the 49ers do not want to practice on the current surface at UNLV, one option would be to bring in new sod. Another would be to work with the NFL to see if San Francisco can practice at the Raiders’ facility during times when the Chiefs are not using it. Jones said the latter has been discussed, though the more likely scenario is that the Niners will remain at UNLV.
There has been a seemingly endless debate in recent years about the quality of playing surfaces during NFL games. There was even a big issue during the Super Bowl last year, which led to some embarrassment for the league.
