Going to have a great view across the river to the city. Really need to tie a trip home to see my parents and a game.
Highmark Stadium Goes Green With Installation of Turf System This little stadium is looking very promising! The view of downtown Pittsburgh from the field is really nice.
This has a chance to be a real jewel. I hope they work hard at selling tickets to it. If you were going to put USL Pro teams into categories based on their stadium situations: GOT IT GOING ON (3): Charleston, Pittsburgh, Rochester OKAY FOR NOW (2): Orlando, Wilmington NEED A BETTER SOLUTION (7): Antigua*, Charlotte, Dayton, Harrisburg, Los Angeles, Richmond, Phoenix# *Not happening, obviously #Currently HAS no stadium, but whatever they come up with is going to not be the best longterm solution (If you were doing the same for the NASL, I would think you'd have Atlanta, Carolina, Puerto Rico, San Antonio and Ottawa in the first category, Ft. Lauderdale and Minnesota in the middle and Edmonton, Tampa Bay and New York in the last, though one can quibble. Tampa Bay's not going anywhere for a while. Virginia would be a wait and see.)
I agree Kenn. Your post got me thinking about tickets for next year. This is sheer speculation on my part...but you would think they had a business plan that included selling out the place as its goal. I would even venture that they had a plan that was good enough that they were able to get several sponsors for the stadium (Highmark as naming sponsor, Trib Total Media & First National Bank). Now, I'd like to see them execute on the plan I assume they have in place. I decided to look at their website for ticket info for 2013 and found they don't have it posted yet. I, for one, will be making a road trip from Ohio next season to go to one game.
Penguins to have ice rink ready by the begining of December. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/penguins-hope-to-erect-an-ice-rink-660764/ Looking at the pictures posted today by the team, its going to be a tight timeline.
Nice view of the city. Well done Pittsburgh. Hope it helps sell tickets. BTW, can we start a pool on the number of balls that end up in the river each season?
Exactly. Notice I said help sell tickets. Does no good to build a pretty place to play if you don't figure out how to get people to pay to come in. New stadiums are not the magic talisman that folks would have us believe. New stadiums are but one piece of the puzzle. It is just nice to see the sport get more places big and small in this country where it can be presented in a quality fashion.
Any of you in Pittsburgh know if this stadium is on any PAT lines? I might come back someday soon, and it would be fun to take in a Hounds match.
I actually did notice that. Presenting the sport properly is a key part of the deal now. It's not optional.
Article in Goal,the New York Times soccer blog. http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/a-new-stadium-in-pittsburgh/?src=recg
That's good coverage for the team. I did not realize until this peice that the stands were going to be all seats.
Hey folks. The Hounds invited some of us out to walk around the stadium today. Below is a link to some photos I took. Still very much under construction but it's really coming along. They are starting to install the ice rink that will be there all winter in the one end which is why there is white mats down. Enjoy! http://flic.kr/s/aHsjD3vc4B
Thanks for posting. Do you know if they're still planning on having the canopy over part of the main grandstand?
I'm not sure. I imagine that will probably be one of the last things installed when they're done with the grandstand. They still have a lot of netting to put up around the stadium as well to keep balls out of the parking lots / train tracks. I hope the canopy is still part of the project. I liked the look in the drawings.
Vesty, rockin'! Looks good. I dislike the BogusTurf, but what the heck. I hope the team is much more successful in the stands and off the field this coming season. (On the pitch would help too, I'm sure.) Good to see the game growing in various places around the country. - Mark
That is a great stadium. Looks good on seating, location, usage and perfectly fits the Riverhounds name as well. Good luck to Pittsburgh!
No roof = glorified highschool stadium. Shoot many highschool stadiums are nicer than this anyway. If they skimp out on it, I will be very disappointed. It's part of the "soccer culture" and improves the sound and atmsophere. Still think it's really cool they are getting this thing built in a really cool location. It could very well put Pittsburgh on the soccer map for the long term. I am already planning on coming back to Burgh for a game next season with my soccer crazy kids.