10.11.2026 10:01
While the quality of football pitches in Turkey continues to be debated, the technology used by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium attracted attention. Images of the Spanish giant dividing the turf into 6 sections after matches and lowering it into a special area approximately 25-30 meters below ground drew great interest. Football fans who saw that the turf is preserved there with special lighting, irrigation, and climate control systems commented, "There is money, there is peace."
While debates continue in Türkiye, especially about the pitch of RAMS Park, where Galatasaray plays its matches, images from Spain brought the technology used in football pitch maintenance back onto the agenda. The system implemented at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where Real Madrid plays its matches, revealed the extraordinary engineering solution developed to protect the grass and prepare it in the best conditions for matches.
THE GRASS IS DIVIDED INTO 6 PIECES AND LOWERED UNDERGROUND
Thanks to the movable pitch system at Real Madrid's stadium, the natural grass of the football field can be divided into 6 separate pieces. The grass layers on giant platforms are lowered after matches, with the help of mechanical systems, into a special storage area approximately 25-30 meters below ground. Thus, the pitch surface can be protected without being affected by the different events held at the stadium.
SPECIAL CARE IS GIVEN TO THE GRASS UNDERGROUND
In the special area created beneath the Santiago Bernabeu, advanced maintenance systems are used to keep the grass healthy. Thanks to irrigation, artificial lighting, heating, and climate control technologies, the conditions the grass needs are provided. The pitch, preserved in this environment until match day, is raised again before the match and made ready for football.
THE STADIUM'S PITCH WORKS ALMOST LIKE AN ELEVATOR
The most striking feature of the system was the way the giant grass platforms are moved. In the images where parts of the pitch are lowered underground, it is seen that the football area in front of the stands is completely emptied and the mechanical structures beneath the surface are revealed. This technology allows the Santiago Bernabeu to host different events besides football matches.
THE ONLY COMMENT FROM THOSE WATCHING THE IMAGES: MONEY IS THERE, PEACE IS THERE
While the effects of stadium pitches on player health and game quality are being debated in Türkiye, the system used by Real Madrid drew the attention of football fans. In particular, the fact that the grass is protected underground under special conditions and brought back onto the pitch on match days led to a comparison of the stadium facilities in the two countries. The comment by football fans who watched the images, "There is money, there is peace," summarized the admiration for the technology.