Highmark Stadium (Pennsylvania)
AUDL ) (2023–present) |
Highmark Stadium is a 5,000-seat
On August 1, 2015, the supporters' section was renamed the Paul Child Stand in honor of Pittsburgh soccer legend Paul Child.[11] About Highmark Stadium, Benjamin Zand of the BBC once said it is "[...]probably the most beautiful stadium I've ever seen."[12] Highmark Stadium is notable for its picturesque albeit unusual layout, with the Monongahela River in close proximity to the field. As a result, during daytime broadcasts of Riverhound matches, the river serves as a backdrop for the action on the field.
History
Since the team's creation, there had been no official announcement concerning a permanent home for the Hounds, but much had been speculated since GM and manager Gene Klein, on 13 July 2007, said that the Riverhounds "are to the point on the stadium complex where it is a matter of paperwork and it will get done. We hope to make an official announcement on it...but like everything else, we'll walk with it before we try and run. We are doing things the right way."[13] On 9 July 2008, Dan Onorato, Chief Executive of Allegheny County, announced a planned development of a 78-acre (320,000 m2) sports and recreation park that covers area near Pittsburgh in Coraopolis, Robinson, and Moon known as Montour Junction.[14] The land was donated to the county's Redevelopment Authority by the Sports Legacy Foundation, which is chaired by Riverhounds founder and former owner Paul Heasley.[15] The SLF had owned the land since 2002 and had already spent about $60k for the environmental cleanup of the land, which was once owned by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad and had been declared a brownfield.[14] The proposed uses for the park included soccer pitches as well as other multipurpose team sports fields such as rugby and lacrosse. It was believed by many that a stadium would be built around one of the fields and that it would likely become a permanent home for the Hounds. However, none of these earlier plans materialized.
Despite speculation and previous attempts to build a permanent home for the Riverhounds at other locations, on December 8, 2011, it was revealed that a stadium for the club could be built at Station Square on the site of the current amphitheater close to downtown Pittsburgh as part of a redevelopment of the area. However, at the time there was no timeline set for the proposed redevelopment.[16]
Construction
On January 10, 2012, an official announcement was made that the construction would begin and that the stadium would be completed by summer 2012. The stadium was financed with an estimated $7 million by private investors in addition to several corporate sponsors including
Construction of the stadium was scheduled to begin in late March to early April 2012 and to be completed during summer 2012.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Millcraft Industries, Inc. coordinated construction activities for the multi-sport and entertainment facility, while Nello Construction, headquartered in Carnegie, PA, served as Highmark Stadium's general contractor.[4] The architect of record is Ohio-based ThenDesign Architecture.[4]
Sports events
In addition to soccer matches, the stadium was home to the Pittsburgh Rebellion of the
Stadium layout
There are 4 gates in Highmark Stadium: the Trib Total Media Gate, the North Gate, the South Gate, and the (#)1 Cochran Gate located in MLP
Expansion
Although the original seating capacity was 3,400 plus 15 suites for 12 people and approximately 400 Standing-room only places, the stadium is expandable vertically on three sides in excess of 18,000 fans, the average attendance of Major League Soccer, making the stadium capable of housing the Riverhounds as they seek to join MLS within a decade.[21] Less than a week after the first league Riverhounds match at the stadium, club officials described three phases of expansion that could be made to the stadium.[6]
Phase 1 Phase 1 includes making the supporters section a permanent grandstand and adding more seating to that area of the stadium which could add about another 2,000 seats. That would bring total capacity to about 6,000.
Phase 2 Phase 2 involves wrapping the grandstands and creating seating in the corners of stadium and creating more seating near the East End. This phase could add about another 1,000 and would be based upon demand.
Phase 3 Phase 3 would be the phase in which the greatest increase in seating occurs. It includes building a second tier of seating over the current grandstand. This would require extensive planning and coordination with the city because it would require building over the roadway. This phase could bring the total seating capacity to slightly over 10,000 and would, like phase 2, be based upon demand.
2018 Expansion
In an effort to meet USSF Division II requirements, Highmark Stadium began an expansion effort to add 1,000 seats; meeting the minimum required capacity of 5,000.[22] The project is anticipated to be completed ahead of the 2019 season.
Home opener
Although several warm-up matches and other non-soccer events were held at the stadium previously, the first official Riverhounds match took place on April 13, 2013, against the Harrisburg City Islanders.[19][23]
Final score | Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1 – 2 Harrisburg City Islanders
|
---|---|
Opening Day Attendance | 4,000^ |
First Goal | Pittsburgh Riverhounds ) (70')
|
Other Goals | Sainey Touray (78'), Lucky Mkosana (90') (Harrisburg City Islanders) |
First Assist | Pittsburgh Riverhounds ) (70')
|
First Substitution | Tom Brandt for Andrew Welker (Harrisburg City Islanders) (9') |
First Yellow Card | Pittsburgh Riverhounds ) (61')
|
First Red Card | None |
- ^ Sell-out crowd
Attendance
League | Season | Average attendance |
---|---|---|
USL Pro | 2013 | 3,273[24] |
2014 | 2,686[25] | |
USL | 2015 | 2,630[24] |
2016 | 2,494[24] | |
2017 | 2,639[26] | |
2018 | 2,401[27] | |
USL Championship | 2019 | 3,729[28] |
2020 | N/A | |
2021 | 3,132 | |
2022 | 3,934 |
Largest soccer attendance
Rank | Date | Attendance | Opponent | Win/Loss/Draw | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | May 24, 2023 | 6,107 | Columbus Crew | W | 2023 U.S. Open Cup - Round of 16 |
June 24, 2023 | San Diego Loyal SC | W | |||
2 | April 27, 2024 | 6,099 | Detroit City FC | W | |
3 | November 2, 2019 | 6,073 | Louisville City FC | L | 2019 USL Championship Playoffs - Semifinals |
4 | September 30, 2023 | 6,045 | FC Tulsa | W | |
5 | October 27, 2019 | 5,627 | Birmingham Legion FC | W | 2019 USL Championship Playoffs - Quarterfinals |
6 | September 23, 2023 | 5,610 | New Mexico United | W | |
7 | September 9, 2023 | 5,512 | Loudoun United FC | W | |
8 | August 5, 2023 | 5,490 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | W | |
9 | July 29, 2023 | 5,466 | Memphis 901 FC | W | |
10 | July 8, 2023 | 5,278 | Sacramento Republic FC | W |
Events
Concerts
The first concert at the stadium was
Date | Performer(s) |
---|---|
July 11, 2015 | The Steve Miller Band
|
June 5, 2019 | Sammy Hagar |
September 27, 2019 | Toby Keith |
Gallery
References
- ^ "Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs Louisville City FC". uslchampionship.com. USL Championship. November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Price, Karen (January 11, 2012). "Plenty Unique About Riverhounds' Station Square Digs". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ "About Highmark Stadium". Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Jones, Rachel (December 1, 2012). "Home Field Advantage: Pittsburgh Riverhounds". WHIRL Magazine. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Riverhounds Highmark Soccer Stadium". Alber & Rice, Inc. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- ^ a b c Gomes, Pedro (April 18, 2013). "USL Pro Spotlight: Week 4". MLS Reserves. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ^ "Highmark Earns Top Marks". USL Pro. April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "JELD-WEN Field's FieldTurf Surface Earns Third FIFA 2-Star Certification". Portland Timbers. March 28, 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "CenturyLink Field's New FieldTurf Surface Receives FIFA 2-Star Rating". Seattle Sounders FC. May 5, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Gillette Stadium's FieldTurf Surface Earns FIFA 2-Star Certification". PR Web. July 29, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ Krysinky, John. "VINCENT HAT TRICK HELPS HOUNDS END THREE-GAME SKID". Pittsburgh Soccer Report. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ Zand, Benjamin. "Football in the USA: Why Americans don't like relegation". BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
- ^ Zeise, Paul (July 12, 2007). "Riverhounds Kick Up Ante". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ a b Rujumba, Karamagi (July 9, 2008). "County Unveils Plan for Sports Complex". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ Pfister, Bonnie (July 9, 2008). "Private Donations Sought for Sports Complex". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on July 10, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
- ^ Rudish-Laning, Robyn (December 8, 2011). "Pittsburgh's Station Square Looking to Receive Upgrades". The Duquesne Duke. Duquesne University. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Riverhounds Soccer Club Unveils Plans for New Stadium in Station Square". Pittsburgh Riverhounds. January 10, 2012. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ Farmer, Douglas (July 27, 2012). "Highmark Stadium Continues to Develop". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ^ a b "City Islanders Rally Past Riverhounds". USL Pro. April 14, 2013. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ "Home Opener Set for Pittsburgh Riverhounds Inaugural Season at Highmark Stadium". Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ Kovacevic, Dejan (November 29, 2012). "Kovacevic: A Perfect Pitch to Lure MLS". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ Omari Sankofa II (October 19, 2017). "Highmark Stadium to add 1,000 seats to meet U.S. Soccer requirements". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ "Harrisburg City Islanders at Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2:1". USL Pro. April 14, 2013. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Attendance Project: Div. III". kenn.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ "2014 Team Stats". USL. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ "2017 USL Attendance". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ "2018 USL Attendance".
- ^ "2019 USL Championship Attendance".
- ^ Mervis, Scott. "Steve Miller Band show rescheduled for July 11". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
External links
Events and tenants | ||
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Preceded by | Home of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2012–present |
Succeeded by Current
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