This summer, two alumni of UT’s Turfgrass Science and Management program will be putting their turfgrass expertise to the test as part of the FIFA staff overseeing pitches for FIFA World Cup 26.
North America is playing host to the world’s most-watched sporting event, and Alex Redd (’19) and Ivan Navarrete (’23) will be on the ground at training fields and tournament pitches in the United States and Mexico.
Redd will build and manage nearly 10 training fields to ensure that they replicate—as closely as possible—the tournament’s pitches. To achieve this, he will pore over data on everything from moisture retention and soil analysis to drainage efficiency and ball movement. He may not be examining every blade of grass on every pitch, but it won’t be much short of that.
The 32-year-old from Knoxville started his college career as a history major, with no firm plan on where that would take him. He was only 18 credits short of graduation when pure serendipity upended his life in the form of a part-time job helping take care of Shields-Watkins Field in Neyland Stadium. He enjoyed the work so much that his supervisor urged him to switch his major to turfgrass science and management.
A young man who had made it a practice to avoid math and science classes whenever possible suddenly found himself immersed in organic chemistry, biology, calculus, and pedology—a discipline that explores the characteristics and evolution of soil.
“When I took organic chemistry, I thought it was all going to come crashing down,” Redd says with a laugh. “But I wouldn’t change anything. Making [the switch to the turfgrass program] was the best thing I ever did.”
FIFA World Cup 26 will be Navarrete’s second tour of duty, having worked on the previous World Cup in Qatar in 2022. It was an experience that gave him valuable insight into FIFA’s operational methods and exacting standards.
Both Navarrete and Redd can trace their jobs directly to their studies at UT and to Distinguished Professor of Turfgrass Management John Sorochan specifically. FIFA’s Senior Pitch Management Manager Alan Ferguson tapped Sorochan to lead a team of researchers and students in a first-of-its-kind research project to create the safest and most consistent pitches for the tournament.
“I owe a lot of my career to Dr. Sorochan. He has guided me and countless others,” Redd says.
Adds Navarrete, “My experience in Qatar was unique and truly special. It shaped my arsenal of skills and how to apply them, and it wouldn’t have been possible without my former professor John Sorochan.”
Sorochan’s history with FIFA dates to 1993, when he was studying for his doctorate in turfgrass science at Michigan State University and helped to install the first-ever natural turfgrass pitch in an indoor stadium (the Pontiac Silverdome) for the 1994 World Cup. He has gone on to become one of the world’s preeminent authorities on turfgrass. His admirers include Paul Ashcroft, head of horticulture and playing surface operations for the UK’s Arsenal FC.
“FIFA made an inspired choice when it chose John to lead their World Cup research initiative,” Ashcroft says.
Sorochan’s genius, according to Ashcroft, goes well beyond his cutting-edge grasp of turfgrass research, maintenance, and best practices. His true gift is his ability to convey his knowledge to groundskeepers in a user-friendly way that empowers them to do their work more efficiently and effectively. He and research associate Kyley Dickson even invented a device called fLEX, which simulates an athlete’s foot strike and provides data on the performance and playability of various sports surfaces.
A scientist and teacher at heart, Sorochan is an ardent believer in having his students pursue internships where their knowledge and passion can be applied in the real world.
One of the key perks of being a UT turfgrass student is the likelihood of landing a gig at a world-class and even iconic sports venue. The Turfgrass Science and Management program boasts a 100 percent job placement rate for its graduates. It was Sorochan’s outreach to the head groundskeeper at Fenway Park that resulted in Alex Redd’s six-month internship with the Boston Red Sox, caring for the greensward inside Fenway.
“Dr. Sorochan strongly encourages you to intern in a place where there will be high-level demands,” Redd says. “[Working in Fenway Park] was an awesome experience.”
Navarrete had his own invaluable internship journey, first with FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer and then with Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League.
“It showed me what it was like to produce and maintain the best of the world’s turf pitches,” says Navarrete, who parlayed his Tottenham experience into the position in Qatar with FIFA four years ago. “The education provided by the turfgrass program at UT was the foundation of being able to apply proper management styles [wherever I happened to be working].”
Beyond the scientific knowledge he acquired in Knoxville, Navarrete says one reason why he and so many other graduates of the turfgrass program have prospered is the nurturing, supportive culture that is one of its hallmarks.
“The environment within the UT program is what separates us from the field,” Navarrete says. “The educators, assistants, mentors, and faculty . . . they are always ready and willing to support you and help you in any way they can.”
Sorochan says one of the most rewarding parts of his job is seeing students such as Redd and Navarrete progress in their careers. “Both Ivan and Alex, like a lot of my students, are outstanding in their field, pun intended,” Sorochan says. “Each of them has outstanding character and a strong work ethic. It’s easy for me to give a recommendation when I know they are good people with integrity and will succeed.”
Alex Redd inspects the turf after a demonstration during the FIFA Field Day and Club World Cup Workshop at UT’s Regal Soccer Stadium.
As he readies for what will likely be the most intense and demanding summer of his life, presiding over training pitches all over the Midwest, Redd still finds it a bit surreal that his line of work is helping grass grow.
He is grateful for the push he received from Darren Seybold, UT’s director of sports surfaces, who called Redd into his office to talk about his potential in the field of turfgrass.
“You seem like you really enjoy this work,” Seybold told him. “You are a natural at it. Have you thought about joining our turfgrass program?” Redd was intrigued by the idea but daunted. An in-person meeting with Sorochan alleviated his fears.
“That was the point that changed everything,” Redd says. The change in majors set him back four full semesters, but he never second-guessed the decision. He was doing something he loved and learning from some of the leading turfgrass experts in the world.
Redd says at first he didn’t fully appreciate the stature of UT’s turfgrass program globally. He found out quickly. After graduation, he immediately got a position as an assistant groundskeeper at Louisiana State University.
After four years in Baton Rouge, Redd landed a job with FIFA, which was looking to add to its turf management team. He interviewed for a position, and Sorochan’s enthusiastic endorsement clinched it.
“I owe that man unlimited meals and beers,” Redd says. He pauses and laughs. “I am extremely lucky and blessed to have this job. The UT turfgrass program is unbelievable. I’d recommend it to anyone.”