Bengals unveil new design for FieldTurf playing surface ahead of 2024 season

The Cincinnati Bengals recently unveiled their new field design at Paycor Stadium as the team continues to upgrade the facility ahead of the 2024-25 NFL season.

“We’ve had great support and collaboration from the county, great support from the construction company (Messer) and it’s been all hands on deck,” said John Pope, stadium capital projects manager. “There’s been very clear communication. Things are progressing well.”

According to a story from Geoff Hobson, senior writer for Bengals.com, the team considered several 50-yard line logos, including a leaping tiger, a helmet and a tiger head. The organization studied other field designs and worked within the NFL policy which changed since the last field installation and shrunk the logo space by about 200 sq. ft. to reach the final design.

“We want our field to be immediately recognizable and our primary logo accomplishes that in a clean, crisp way,” said Elizabeth Blackburn, the Bengals’ director of strategy and engagement. “The 50-yard line is the natural spot for a team’s primary logo and we feel lucky to have a mark that presents well on TV from a distance.”

The final design features the team’s “B” logo at the 50-yard line with slight changes to the endzones design and field numbers to incorporate design elements from the Bengals’ 2021 uniform rebrand.

According to Hobson, the installation process for a FieldTurf playing surface usually takes place in stages with the turf laid into the floor of the stadium in pieces. Instead, the Bengals and Hamilton County allowed FieldTurf to sew the field into one piece at its factory and fast-forward the installation by about two months.

“If you have all those seams and cuts done in the shop, there’s a better opportunity for the field to perform at a higher level,” Pope says.