Don’t expect Cowboys to keep curtains, grass from World Cup

When the Cowboys made AT&T Stadium available as part of North Texas’ bid to host World Cup games, it essentially meant handing the venue over to FIFA for more than a month. 

Lock, stock and barrel. Including Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ suite. 

“Which, by the way, that was tough,” Cowboys executive vice president of business operations Chad Estis said Monday with a chuckle. “When we were told that might happen, we were like, ‘Wow, OK.’ ” 

Jerry Jones, his family and Cowboys officials are scheduled to attend Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal between France and Spain, “but in a different suite,” Estis confirmed after a Monday news conference at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. 

The news conference was hosted by the North Texas FIFA Organizing Committee, of which Estis is a board member. 

Along with allowing FIFA to temporarily rename Jones’ cherished venue Dallas Stadium and play the games on natural grass instead of synthetic turf, fans and reporters have noted the FIFA also has done some interior decorating of the infamous windows above the West end zone. 

Specifically, tinting has been added to greatly soften the afternoon glare – and curtains that have been used for concerts and other non-Cowboys events have been installed.

Jones already is on record as saying in March that the Cowboys don’t plan to keep the natural grass installed because “We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on grass over turf.” 

It also doesn’t sound like the effectiveness of the tint and curtains have caused the Cowboys to rethink about keeping them for games. 

“I don’t think so,” said Estis, who also serves as the Cowboys’ and AT&T Stadium’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer. “We feel like the stadium operates incredibly well for Cowboys games and how we want it to. 

“It’s a different crowd. Different set of circumstances. The stadium is being used very differently. The spaces that we use for Cowboys games, some of them weren’t used; some of them were used very differently.” 

And the playing surface? 

“The way our artificial turf is in our stadium, it’s designed to come in and out because we’re a busy stadium and we have a lot of events, so I don’t anticipate any there. 

“You know, the curtain thing gets written about a lot. You can ask Jerry about it, as many people do. But look, we’ve been doing it for 17 years, so we’re excited to get the stadium handed back to us. We’re excited to go back to operating it the way we do.” 

Soon after Tuesday’s final World Cup match here, workers will begin the process of stripping the Colorado-grown, Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass blend that FIFA pitch officials and AT&T Stadium general manager Tod Martin have painstakingly maintained the past six weeks. 

The Cowboys’ preseason home opener against New Orleans is August 28. That doesn’t give crews much time to reconstruct the corner field level suites that had to be removed to make room for the wider and longer soccer pitch. 

“Rightfully so for what this tournament is, the pitch needs to be perfect,” Estis said. “Ours looks good; it’s playing well. 

“And I’m sure for Tod, he’s going to be sad to tear it up because he’s taking care of that thing like it’s his baby. I walked on it barefoot and told Tod, ‘I want to be the only person to do that.’ 

“We’ll see if that holds up.” 

Estis said no decision has been made whether to donate the grass for use elsewhere – or, if so, where the stadium might be.