In August 2019, the Green Bay Packers took delivery of a bespoke MacLeod field cover system from Sports & Stadia Services Ltd.
Sports & Stadia installed the system to the grounds staff’s specification. The team also delivered training to enable Lambeau Field staff get the most out of the system during the harsh Green Bay winter.
Why a tailored field cover system matters for NFL winter operations
For NFL venues, winter creates sustained operational pressure rather than a single problem to solve. Low temperatures, snowfall, freeze-thaw cycles and prolonged wet conditions each affect turf performance and recovery in different ways, and each calls for a different response from the grounds crew.
This is where a MacLeod field cover system differs from a standard field cover. Rather than offering one fixed level of protection, the system is specified against the conditions the venue actually faces. Two stadiums in different climates can run the same system configured to entirely different priorities.
The specification is tailored across:
- Sizing and footprint: built to the playing surface, access routes and perimeter of the individual venue.
- Snow management: configured for accumulation and clearance rather than simply bearing the load.
- Frost protection: retaining soil temperature through cold snaps to protect surface condition and recovery.
- Rainfall and saturation: the raised cover sheds water away from the surface to keep the field playable and workable.
Snow clearance is where the difference is most visible in day-to-day use at Lambeau Field. The cover’s surface finish is engineered so that snow does not bond to the material. Rather than requiring the accumulation to be lifted, shovelled or melted off, a machine fitted with a front blade attachment can move across the cover and push settled snow clear of the surface in a controlled pass, turning what is usually a multi-hour manual operation into a routine part of the morning schedule.
At Lambeau Field, the objective is straightforward: protect the turf, and give the grounds crew confident, repeatable options when the forecast turns. A tailored field cover system becomes part of the venue’s wider turf management plan rather than a last-minute response to weather that has already arrived.
Built to the venue: tailored to the grounds team’s specification
No two stadiums operate the same way. Access routes, storage, staffing, and the field perimeter all influence how a field protection system needs to work in practice.
For the Green Bay Packers, the MacLeod system was installed to the grounds staff’s specification. This ensures the system fits the venue’s operational needs and supports repeatable routines when weather risk increases.
Installation & commissioning at Lambeau Field
Installation is only one part of making a field cover system effective. Commissioning is where the system becomes operational and the grounds team builds confidence using it under time pressure.
A strong commissioning process focuses on safe handling, correct installation routines, and the checks that keep the system ready throughout the winter period.
Training and handover: helping the team get the most out of the field cover
The most effective field cover strategies are proactive. Stadium teams typically plan deployment around forecast risk, rather than waiting until conditions have already compromised the surface.
A field protection system supports that approach by providing a repeatable routine for protecting the turf during high-risk periods and helping maintain consistent standards across a demanding schedule.
