The Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore is once again at the forefront of the national football scene. In view of the 2025/26 season, the Reggio Emilia facility has been equipped with a new entirely natural turf, created by Paradello, a leading Italian company in the field of natural turf and sports facilities, with the NorthBridge grass variety, which will also be used for some pitches of the upcoming 2026 World Cup in North America.
This choice represents a significant change: the transition from a hybrid system to a 100% natural grass, selected after a careful study of the best agronomic solutions available. The NorthBridge variety, never used before in an Italian stadium, created by Oklahoma State University, was chosen for its high performance in terms of tolerance to low temperatures, high vegetative density, prolonged persistence of the bright green color during the winter season and excellent resistance to mechanical wear. This variety stands out, in fact, for its ability to root easily and for the resistance of the turf, which remains uniform and performing even in cases of intense use, such as at the Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore which regularly hosts more than one match per week. Thanks to these characteristics, NorthBridge is used in high-level sports facilities and on golf courses, where extremely high performance and visual standards are required. Grazie a queste caratteristiche, NorthBridge viene impiegata in impianti sportivi di alto livello e su campi da golf, dove sono richiesti standard prestazionali e visivi estremamente elevati.
“We are proud to be the first in Italy to adopt a completely natural turf with NorthBridge varieties – says Andrea Lorenzi, stadium manager at Mapei Stadium – this choice is an important step in the path of research and innovation that we have undertaken in recent years and that allows us to offer teams and players an increasingly high quality standard, while fully respecting the environment.”
“For us at Paradello it is a source of great satisfaction to contribute to a project of excellence such as that of Mapei Stadium – says Gianni Casini, Head of Paradello’s professional fields maintenance – For over thirty years we have provided our experience and expertise in the construction of natural sports fields. The adoption of the NorthBridge variety represents an important challenge and a concrete innovation in the Italian landscape: we are sure that it will guarantee maximum agronomic and functional performance throughout the sports season.”
The approximately five tons of synthetic fibers from the old turf of the Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore, will be completely recycled for a recovery project, in line with Mapei’s social and environmental commitment.
Continuous innovation for pitch care and management
The renovation of the pitch is part of a broader path of innovation that has seen the Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore constantly invest in cutting-edge technologies for the care and management of the pitch.
In the first half of 2025, innovation touched on the sanitization of the turf with the introduction of a battery-powered SGL machine equipped with UV light, capable of sterilizing the leaves and reducing fungal pressure in a completely sustainable way. At the same time, the new lighting system with the latest generation of SGL LED lamps for the treatment of the turf has been implemented: these optimize the growth and health of the grass while reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs. Equipped with an integrated computer, the devices monitor and regulate climatic parameters and soil temperature in real time, ensuring optimal conditions even in case of ice or high humidity.
Last year, an advanced fertigation system was integrated, to accurately calibrate pH and salinity of the water, thus ensuring optimal growth of the lawn without stress for the plants. The management approach has become more efficient and sustainable through the reduction of machines from thirteen to eight units, resulting in less weight and turf crushing, greater safety in operations and lower maintenance costs.
In 2023, we focused on controlling the microclimate, thanks to the installation of the latest generation of climatic fans that allowed to significantly reduce the onset of fungal diseases, especially in the warmest periods. At the same time, solutions have been implemented to optimize water management, such as underground probes and Green Go weather stations, which constantly monitor water availability and allow targeted irrigation, avoiding waste.
In 2022, on the other hand, there was the introduction of highly specialized monitoring tools, such as the Propitch equipment, recognized by UEFA and FIFA, which allows periodic tests to be carried out and always guarantees high quality standards.
These technological innovations are complemented by targeted agronomic choices, such as the use of USGA silica sand substrates and Mapesoil, a Mapei product created specifically for the stabilization of soils used for the creation of sports surface substrates, to promote proper infiltration and water retention, the selection of grass species with high playability and low water requirements, rational fertilization supported by salinity probes, the constant use of biostimulants and manual management of weeds, thus avoiding the use of chemical herbicides.
A model of quality and sustainability.
The Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore confirms itself as a benchmark for quality, innovation and attention to the environment, thanks to the constant commitment of Mapei and its partners. The introduction of the new NorthBridge turf, together with the most advanced management technologies, consolidates the position of the Reggio Emilia facility as a model of excellence in Italian and international football.