UT’s
game-changing
impact
The University of Tennessee’s research collaboration with FIFA will reach beyond FIFA World Cup 26. The impact of this work stretches from youth league sports to professional sports, academics to career outcomes, and even has potential to change the way we grow food.
From youth leagues to the pros
Long after the winning goal is made at FIFA World Cup 26, athletes of all ages who play on turfgrass fields and pitches will be able to do so more safely thanks to research from UT’s turfgrass experts. The five-year research collaboration between UT and FIFA, combined with decades of earlier research, will help young athletes excel while mitigating the risk of injury.
We never want to take away from a player’s ability to play the game they love, and especially when we can control those situations. So, it is the pinnacle of what we do. It’s the priority all the time. The health and safety and well-being of our players is at the top of our priorities.
Joe Kirt
head coach, Lady Vols soccer
55%
of youth aged 6–17 played organized sports in the US in 2024
50M
acres of maintained turf on lawns, golf courses, sports fields, parks, and playgrounds in the US
$11.2B
investment in local parks by the 100 most populous US cities
Stats from Project Play and the Aspen Institute
55%
of youth aged 6–17 played organized sports in the US in 2024
Stats from Project Play and the Aspen Institute
50M
acres of maintained turf on lawns, golf courses, sports fields, parks, and playgrounds in the US
Stats from Project Play and the Aspen Institute
$11.2B
investment in local parks by the 100 most populous US cities
Stats from Project Play and the Aspen Institute
Stats from Project Play and the Aspen Institute
Cultivating Careers
100%
of UT turfgrass science and management graduates are employed after graduation, receiving multiple job offers from across the United States and around the world.
Explore UT’s turfgrass program
From working on the FIFA research project to helping manage turfgrass at NFL and soccer stadiums around the world, students in UT’s Turfgrass Science and Management program are getting real-world experience and a jump start to their careers.
Read about the world-class opportunities turfgrass students get at UT
Real-world experiences before graduation
- Arsenal FC, English Premier League
- Cricket World Cup
- FC Cincinnati, Major League Soccer
- FIFA
- Orlando City Soccer Club
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Super Bowl
- Surrey County Cricket Club
The turfgrass professors all want you to succeed. They want you to go get experiences. I worked in Orlando, Florida, for Orlando City Soccer Club for a summer. Then I went overseas to London, and then—the biggest thing—I was able to work the Super Bowl.
Conlan Burbrink
Graduate Research Assistant
The future of agriculture
A new state-of-the-art facility at UT’s East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center is the nucleus of the university’s turfgrass research program. Faculty and students experiment with growing and maintaining natural grass in the absence of sunlight, which is critical for domed stadium sites hosting FIFA World Cup 26 matches. And discoveries made in the process could shape other areas of agriculture, including food production.
Explore the indoor research facility and hear from researchers solving challenges for the future of agriculture.In addition to player safety, something driving me is how we’ll grow plants to feed humanity.
John Stier
Associate Dean of Herbert College of Agriculture and Professor of Plant Sciences
