In the world of sports, from European football leagues to American football, the quality of natural grass fields is increasingly becoming a source of dispute between athletes and team owners. Amid these tensions, Bruin Capital, a private equity firm with a focus on sports, has acquired a majority stake in PlayGreen, a top developer of grass technology, anticipating a continued trend towards natural grass in major sports.
Based in the Netherlands, PlayGreen BV operates through its subsidiaries, Stadium Grow Lighting (SGL) and ALVA Technology, which together serve around 600 sports teams globally, including well-known teams such as the Boston Red Sox, Dallas Cowboys, and Tottenham Hotspur. These subsidiaries specialize in the research and development of technologies for growing grass, including advanced lighting systems and studying the chemical properties of grass suited for different climates. The acquisition values PlayGreen at over $100 million.
Although specific details of the deal remain confidential, this acquisition occurs during a period of increased focus on the impact of playing surfaces on athlete welfare. Notably, female soccer players recently succeeded in their demand for natural grass at the World Cup, and the upcoming men’s World Cup in 2026 will also feature natural grass fields. In the United States, the NFL Players Association is pushing for natural grass across all teams, citing player safety concerns.
George Pyne, the founder of Bruin, emphasized the financial importance of athletes and the need to protect them by providing safer, healthier playing surfaces. He pointed out that the demand for venues to host more events is intensifying the need for efficient field maintenance. In this regard, he highlighted that SGL is a leader in leveraging technology to optimize the growth conditions of turf.
PlayGreen boasts an extensive collection of data on field growth conditions, such as sodium levels, moisture, climate, grass types, and diseases. This data is gathered through live monitoring devices used by groundskeepers and venue managers globally. Their innovative solutions include proprietary LED and high-pressure sodium lights, sensor-equipped devices known as TurfPods, disease control tools, and software that supports predictive maintenance and growth modeling for maintenance crews.
Bruin Capital, managing assets exceeding $1 billion, primarily invests in sports-related businesses. It recently invested in Box to Box, a production company famous for the Netflix series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive”. Earlier this year, Bruin sold its marketing firm Two Circles for $315 million and has made significant investments in companies like On Location and Deltatre.
