Yes, that’s real grass growing inside BC Place. Here’s where FIFA’s turf comes from

After nearly $180 million in upgrades, Vancouver's BC Place is almost ready to become a World Cup stadium. Andrew Johnson has more.

VANCOUVER – Workers are putting the finishing touches on a stadium overhaul at BC Place for the FIFA World Cup that includes one of the tournament’s most unusual features - a natural grass field growing under a dome.

“In just two days we will hand the building over to FIFA to finish the final preparations to become a World Cup stadium,” said the stadium’s general manager Chris May during a media tour Tuesday.

The stadium, which first opened in 1983 and was renovated ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics, has undergone another major transformation to meet FIFA standards. Upgrades include a massive new video screen, modernized locker rooms, hospitality spaces and additional accessibility improvements.

But the most talked about upgrade will be under the players’ feet.

The natural grass now taking root inside the stadium is a carefully engineered mix of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, developed to survive inside a domed stadium, and to provide a consistent playing surface across all 16 World Cup venues in Canada, the United States and Mexico. It’s a challenge that required years of research and planning by turf experts from Michigan State University and the University of Tennessee.

But on Tuesday, B.C.’s Premier highlighted the local contribution in pulling off the perfect pitch. “This grass comes straight out of the Fraser Valley, from Abbotsford, installed by a company out of Langley,” David Eby said at Tuesday’s event.

The grass at BC Place has been installed into a surface roughly 35 centimetres deep, allowing roots to take hold. It will be kept alive during the tournament with grow lights that were visible at field-level on Tuesday.

But that’s not all that’s growing.

The upgrades at BC Place are part of a much larger public investment tied to the World Cup. Last year, the provincial government estimated the total cost of hosting games in Vancouver at between $532 million and $624 million, including approximately $196 million in stadium improvements.

Current price tag a mystery

But an updated FIFA price tag for taxpayers remains a mystery, only one month out from the tournament. Eby was unable to supply those numbers Tuesday, but said they’re coming soon.

“Our intention was to release that with our partners closer to the date of the first game,” he said. “But I have asked our team to bring that forward to ensure that we have the total out to the public by the end of the month.”

Eby insists it will all be worth it – anticipating the World Cup will bring a million visitors to Vancouver over the next five years, and a billion-dollar economic benefit.

Canada’s men’s national team will play two group-stage matches in Vancouver after opening the tournament in Toronto. The first game at BC Place with Australia facing Turkey kicks off June 13.

With files from The Canadian Press