In Monaco, the Louis-II stadium is experimenting with a new tropical lawn

Forming a natural carpet, the 7,600 square meters of the Louis-II stadium lawn were given a makeover this summer.

And to host Le Havre this Saturday at 7 p.m., AS Monaco will tread for the second time on its new turf sown at the end of the 2024/2025 season, which grew in seven weeks.

"At the end of the championship, we decided to remove all the winter turf, scalp it, and sow Bermuda grass," explains Franck Nicolas, who has been responsible for the stadium's turf for four decades. A longevity that has meant he's seen many different types of turf come and go. This one is his favorite.

That's why he chose Bermuda grass, a tropical grass variety, named for its origins in the Bermuda Islands in the Caribbean, which requires little water.

"The warmer it is, the more it grows, and it doesn't require insecticides or fungicides. We don't use any chemicals in the field. And with this August heat, it resists everything."

A variety that is not very popular in France

On average, this lawn requires 50 to 70% less water than conventional Louis II lawns. And it is more resilient against disease.

"The more you water, the more dampness develops and encourages diseases that can kill an entire lawn in 48 hours. Here, we water at most twice a week despite the heat."

With his choice, Franck Nicolas intends to set a precedent. "Many laboratories have been looking at Bermuda grass for several years now, trying to hybridize it, make it more efficient, and grow it elsewhere than in Bermuda."

However, variety is not yet the most popular among football stadiums in the French championship.

"We're trying to change mentalities. In Italy, they've already made the switch in most of the league's stadiums. In France, they're struggling. And it's a shame because we could share skills. If everyone used the Bermuda grass, it would allow us to develop maintenance techniques. And in Monaco, we'd like to perpetuate this strategy."

On the edge of the pitch, the turf team planted other varieties of Bermuda grass, North Bridge and Zoysia Zeon, to check its acclimatization to the Monaco stadium.

The initial results appear satisfactory. On August 8, during the match between Monaco and Inter Milan, the new turf was tested by the studs of both teams for the first time. "At the end of the match, when the guys brushed it, we could have played again behind, there wasn't a single mark," Franck Nicolas said happily.

Inspection every morning

The idea is that the turf manager would like to spend the summer with this co-planted turf. Sporting constraints and the need to have a pitch like a billiard table for all matches require a mature turf to last the entire season.

But for now, the teams are tending to their tropical lawn, co-planted with small digital weather stations. Even if most of the observation is done with the naked eye.

"We walk around the field every morning to assess the color and needs." On average, the entire field is also mowed every day to keep it fresh. And preferably in the middle of the day, when the sun has dried the area a little so that the grass is more pliable for the mower.

"We know that eventually we'll have to replace it, it's inevitable. With the Champions League, we can't take the risk of having a faulty pitch. But with this turf, we know we have a solution for the summer months and that it works."