Palo Alto has spent over a year debating whether we should replace the worn out synthetic field at El Camino Park with natural grass or synthetic turf. That is a long time discussing what seems to be a pretty simple question with a straight-forward answer: We should replace synthetic with synthetic, because it can handle far more hours of use than a grass field, and land for sports fields around here is not easy to come by.
But is that the right answer?
The main reason that City Council chose to evaluate the question of grass or synthetic is because synthetic fields have known environmental and health issues. The rubber infill on some fields comes loose and is toxic, and the plastic “grass”, which also sheds, contains PFAS and generates microplastics. The synthetic fields, which are a mix of different materials, are not easily recycled, and they are generally uncomfortable for players — hot and scratchy. But their big advantage is that they can handle more use than grass fields, which need to rest in order to regenerate, and which are often not usable during rainy periods.
The Obvious Answer is to Keep the Synthetic Fields We Already Have
Rodrigo Baptista is the executive director of the Palo Alto Soccer Club and Silicon Valley Soccer Academy, which together train about 2,000 kids on our fields throughout the year. He estimates that synthetic fields can handle about three times more use than our soil-based grass fields. That is why he says “It would be extremely difficult to sustain our current programs in Palo Alto without the existing [synthetic] turf inventory.” He points to essential improvements in synthetic field technology — materials with less PFAS and natural infills — that the city is now deploying at the Mayfield site. The previous fields there had infill that clumped in the heat, leading to injuries.
Baptista adds that grass fields, unless immaculately maintained, can also cause problems for players. During a tournament this fall a field at JLS had a vehicle rut in it that not only created a hazard but made this area of the field virtually unplayable. How could you take a corner kick in this muck?
A frustrated person (parent? coach?) later that day filled in the area with kitty litter!
If you see promise in the improved synthetic fields, as many do, Baptista’s arguments to retain the four we have today are very reasonable. Palo Alto is urbanizing, which means we are adding people without adding land. Developer impact fees are not coming close to covering the cost of sufficient park space for new residents, so we have to evolve our parks to accommodate more people. The very least we can do is maintain the field capacity we have today. (1)
The best practices for managing grass fields are evolving, but it’s not clear how much better our soil-based grass fields can be. Palo Alto’s maintenance is not perfect, but it is pretty intensive. (See pages 65–71 of this appendix.) Our landscaping staff is continually making adjustments within the constraints of eliminating herbicides and using only organic fertilizers, which are important health and environmental restrictions.
Jeff Greenfield, the vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, has spent nearly 30 years on our fields as player, coach and referee, and he is doubtful we can do much better within a reasonable budget. “How much improvement is really realistic?” he asked in a September Parks and Recreation meeting. “I mean, our staff isn’t perfect but they’re doing a pretty darned good job…. I think the limiting factor is money…. I’m at a loss to see how much improvement we can really make.”
Baptista supports an effort to pilot an advanced grass field, such as one that uses sand and engineered drainage to better withstand rainy periods. He aligns with some environmental advocates here, who see that as an important step to converting our synthetic fields to grass. But he is opposed to doing a pilot at El Camino Park. “I believe both Greer Park and Cubberley grass fields could be excellent candidates for a high quality grass pilot program.”
Some advocates for synthetic turf suggest we go farther. Two speakers at an April 21, 2025 City Council meeting proposed converting more of the grass fields at Cubberley to synthetic in order to provide playing opportunities for kids in nearby areas with fewer resources. The speakers also touted the potential of getting into top-level colleges via excellence in soccer, and making that available to more people.
At minimum, it seems that maintaining the field capacity that we have, in a city that is growing, is a reasonable ask.
Is the Obvious Answer the Right Answer?
And yet a few things give me pause when I think about this. I spent time walking around the fields, both grass and synthetic, observing their quality and how they are used.
Grass Is Nicer
Players prefer to play on grass because it is cooler in summer and softer and less scratchy when they hit the ground. Baptista, who played on grass as a youth and as a professional, says he “fully appreciates the value of a quality grass surface.” Gary Ireland, the founder and director of PSV Union, another soccer club in Palo Alto, goes further, saying “We prefer grass, even bad grass [to synthetic turf]”, citing worse heat and injuries on synthetic surfaces. (2, 3)
People who are not in the soccer community also prefer grass. Synthetic fields do not have people playing with their dogs, picnicking, walking with their toddlers, or reading under trees as they are on the grass fields at Cubberley, Greer and elsewhere. There are lots of birds on Cubberley in the mornings and evenings, swooping over the fields looking for insects. I have also seen rabbits and even a coyote or two there. There is nothing like that on the hot, scratchy, plastic fields.
El Camino Park Might be More Park-Like with a Grass Field
El Camino Park is the largest “park” in the northwest quadrant of the city. But it is not much of a park. It is largely a soccer field and a softball field with a parking lot in between. There is a small area with redwoods to the west of those, but essentially nothing to the east since we approved two roads through the green space there last year.
As a result, this park functions mainly as an outdoor gym, a place primarily for athletes. And while Baptista is right that the city is growing, not all new residents will be athletes. Do we want a park here that will appeal to more types of residents and attract more wildlife, as most of our larger parks do? A natural grass field might help since it is more people and environment-friendly.
Synthetic turf fields are designed to look like grass, but they are an ecologically hostile place, less park than parking lot. The photo below shows the Mayfield site where the new synthetic turf fields are being installed. A foam mat and what is essentially a plastic carpet will overlay this foundation, painted green to simulate a park-like environment. But for birds, insects, and other essential wildlife, this is a dead space.
Plastic Fields are a Mess
I mention above that synthetic turf is more like a parking lot than a park. But in fact it’s worse because the plastic strands and infill go everywhere. If you are on such a field, or if you look around the perimeter, you will notice this. Below is a picture showing green plastic strands that were blown off of Cubberley’s field.
That was apparently a maintenance error, but even after they tried to clean it up, much remained.
I have seen maintenance workers cart off large bundles of these plastic strands. The shedding never stops. (4)
Synthetic Fields are Not Easily Recyclable
Recycling these fields is very difficult. Earlier this year a company that promised to recycle synthetic fields in Pennsylvania filed for bankruptcy, leaving stacks of plastic rolls on the land of a beleaguered farmer. I wonder, if the synthetic turf companies were forced to take back their own products at the end of their 8–10 year lifespan, would they continue to promote them so enthusiastically?
The synthetic turf companies say they are working on all of this. But recycling remains an unsolved problem. The new natural infill has its own issues (e.g., it wears out faster and it doesn’t keep the fields much cooler). The infill-free field has much more plastic than the fields with infill. We continue to give these technology companies the benefit of the doubt when it comes to making better products because it is convenient for us, we want these products to be safe. At what point will we give nature the benefit of the doubt? Or will we keep slowly harming ourselves and everything around us?
My Conclusion
Palo Alto is a forward-looking, environmentally focused city. We are pushing ahead with the newer synthetic fields at Mayfield, so why wouldn’t we also try out a more advanced grass field somewhere else? But I am not all that excited about the potential for a grass field at El Camino Park. It is in a very busy area, bounded by El Camino Real, Alma Street, and the train tracks. The field is surrounded by high fences because of that.
If this field were grass, would people hang out on it or walk their dogs? Would birds swoop over it looking for insects? I am not convinced. Do we see that at the (grass) softball field next door? This area of Palo Alto has very little field space, but it does have a number of small parks. So I think it makes sense to manage this busy spot primarily for athletes.
Mayfield is in a non-residential area, surrounded on two sides by El Camino Real and Page Mill. It is not an ideal spot for a grass field either. But converting the synthetic field at Cubberley is a possibility. Logistically it makes sense, since we have all of the grass maintenance equipment there for the adjacent grass fields. Environmentally it makes sense, since it is in an area with trees and other grass fields that already host wildlife. And functionally it makes sense, since the field is surrounded by a large all-weather track. If the new grass field is closed on some days, there is still a good outdoor exercise facility.
It’s not clear to me that the teams need to play outdoor soccer 365 days a year anyway. Some cross-training can be better for athletes. Baptista’s teams often play indoor futsal in winter. PSV’s Ireland notes that “The best players in the world in the history of soccer mostly played on dirt, concrete and bad grass. They never played on synthetic.” Surely they got rained out sometimes.
Cubberley’s synthetic field will need replacing in a few years. We will know by then if we are happy with the performance of the newer fields, and the city will have a better idea of how the growing population and possible new after-school sports programs are affecting demand for this field. If we do convert it to grass, the athletes would lose what amounts to a fraction of a field, and the environment and other people would gain a field. That is a tradeoff worth exploring.
I would also like to see us take concrete steps towards preserving the remaining natural spaces that we have. The push to urbanize is creating a tremendous amount of wealth for property owners and developers. Some of that must go to fortifying and protecting our ecosystems and wildlife. I would really like to see some restrictions and/or fees for new synthetic turf. Synthetic turf should be a difficult last resort, not an easy choice.
On that note, I want to share a final picture with you. This photo was taken a few days ago outside the Science Resource Center at JLS Middle School.
This building has a small native garden to one side, and in front it used to have some planters along with a wood chipped area. The school district recently replaced that with synthetic turf. I can’t think of any good reason for putting a plastic lawn on this site, let alone at a Science Resource Center that promotes ecology. I felt like someone poked me in the eye with a stick when I saw this.
The Parks and Recreation Commission will be issuing their recommendation on Tuesday, October 28. City Council will then be making a decision on November 17. You can show up to voice your opinion, or email them at ParkRec.commission@paloalto.gov and City.Council@PaloAlto.gov, respectively. If you are concerned about the use of synthetic turf at our schools, you can reach out to School Board Vice President Shounak Dharap at sdharap@pausd.org, since I don’t think the district has hired a sustainability officer yet.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether we should have a grass or a synthetic field at El Camino Park or elsewhere. Please keep your comments thoughtful and respectful.
Notes
1. Baptista also commented that the Palo Alto Unified School District is taking control of its fields from the city at the end of this year, which he believes will directly impact how much access his teams have to the fields at JLS and Green. In time it is possible that convenient after-school soccer offered by the school district could reduce enrollment in the club programs, thereby balancing out the need for fields. Time will tell.
2. Several clubs, including PSV Union, noted that they prefer to schedule games on synthetic turf when there is a possibility that grass fields will be closed due to rain because rescheduling games is difficult.
3. There have been a number of studies showing greater injury rates on synthetic turf, largely due to the grippy nature of the material, though heat and infection are also issues. Baptista claims that his teams have higher injury rates (ankles, knees) on grass fields due to the poor condition of the fields (not just because there are more grass fields than synthetic). I find that hard to believe, at least based on my personal experience where the girls had far more injuries on synthetic turf. We sometimes even struggled to field a team when the kids were playing on synthetic turf. That was never an issue when the kids were on grass.
There were at least three reasons for the higher injury rate on synthetic turf, none specifically related to the surface material. The first is that older kids play much more aggressively, and the club assigns them more often to practice and play on synthetic turf. The second is that the kids aren’t allowed to head the ball until they are older, which again coincides with playing more on synthetic turf. That advanced style of play can lead to more injuries. And the third is that some anatomical changes in maturing girls make them more prone to knee injuries. Again, this happens when they are playing more on synthetic turf. In my experience, injury rates were far higher among the older girls, and they played on synthetic turf. So I’m surprised by Baptista’s findings.
4. City staff say that “The City is aware of abnormal fiber shedding and the vendor is addressing this by doing semi-annual grooming, field checks and reviewing warranty.”
5. Many pro-synthetic advocates express concern about the water required by grass fields. However, the amount of water that would be used if we converted all four of our synthetic fields to grass would be just over one-tenth of one percent of our city’s total use. Moreover, we could use recycled or even well water for some or all of it, and it would go straight back into our water table, largely unadulterated. So I don’t worry about this much.
6. You can find more pictures of our fields here, including some of the worn out synthetic field at El Camino Park. You can also find more pictures of the plastic pollution issue at Cubberley’s synthetic field here.
Current Climate Data
Global impacts (August 2025), US impacts (August 2025), CO2 metric, NOAA climate dashboard
Sadly, the NOAA climate dashboard linked to above has been abandoned, and the others are stale due to the government shutdown. I will update these links in the next blog post.
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