Post Their Switch From Artificial Turfs, Vikings Ramp Up Stadium Upgrades With a $62 Million Plan

The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for a fruitful 2024 season. Not by investing in the team, but rather, investing in its biggest facility: the US Bank Stadium. The arena is just 7 years old, but the franchise has already planned for a big upgrade to enhance the security of the building and its occupants: the players.

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) is set to request $62 million of public funds to build enhanced fencing around the facility, improving its security. Additionally, the Stadium is also set to get rid of its slit-film artificial turf, for which $1.3 million of public funds was already granted earlier this year.

Vikings $62 million plans for $1.4 billion stadium

The US Bank Stadium was completed in 2016 with the latest anti-terrorism standard proposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). But the Vikings are feeling like it’s not secure enough for the facility, and they are looking to collect the $62 million fund to add an extra layer of fencing around the stadium perimeter.

The project also includes a new entrance on the Westside, to provide better access from the US Bank Stadium light-rail station. The project is part of a larger plan, and $15.7 million was already allocated earlier this year for its initial phase. The sum also came from public funds.

Read More: Vikings Learn From Aaron Rodgers & Tyreek’s Injuries, Make The Switch from Artificial Turf

But the most important upgrade from Gridiron’s point of view, however, comes with the much-needed turf upgrade. For which $1.3 million had already been allocated earlier.

Vikings to upgrade US Bank Stadium turf for better player security

US Bank Stadium is one of the 15 stadiums in the league with turf or artificial grass. It contains the slit-film artificial turf, which has been under thorough scrutiny after accounting for repeated non-contact injuries on NFL players. Even the NFL Players Association injury data suggests the same. Chiefs‘ Travis Kelce and homeboy Justin Jefferson became two victims of this particular turf earlier in the season.

But the Vikings are set to get rid of it with more secure monofilament turf, which is proven to add less injury risk and better control for the player.

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As the US Bank Stadium sees a complete overhaul of its battleground, many fans would ask when the same will happen for the infamous MetLife Stadium: Home of the New York Jets and New York Giants, which is responsible for most non-contact injuries out of any stadium in the past few years.

To be honest, even Woody Johnson himself doesn’t have the answer.

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