Heinz Field

Funded in conjunction with PNC Park, the US$281 million stadium stands along the Ohio River, on the Northside of Pittsburgh. The stadium was designed with the city of Pittsburgh's history of steel production in mind, which led to the inclusion of 12,000 tons of steel into the design.[3] Ground for the stadium was broken in June 1999 and the first football game was hosted in September 2001. The stadium's natural grass surface has been criticized throughout its history, but Steelers ownership has kept the grass after lobbying from players and coaches. Attendance for the 65,050 seat stadium has sold out for every Steelers home game, a streak which dates back to 1972. A collection of memorabilia from the Steelers and Panthers of the past can be found in the Coca-Cola Great Hall.

A view of Heinz Field at the confluence of the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers

Kansas City-based HOK Sport designed the stadium. HOK's project manager for Heinz Field, Melinda Lehman, stated the Rooney family asked that the stadium's design "acknowledge the history of Pittsburgh and also bring in an element of looking forward, this is where Pittsburgh is going."

In order to accomplish this, HOK used steel structurally and externally. The stone used in Heinz Field's design is artificial, in order to decrease cost. Of the glass used in the stadium's design, Lehman said, "The glass is a more modern building element, which ties into a lot of the buildings in [Downtown] Pittsburgh and gives great views of the surrounding areas."

Ground was broken for Heinz Field on June 18, 1999, at a ceremony co-hosted by the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh. The stadium was constructed by Hunt Construction Group and Mascaro Corporation. The two companies directed 1,400 workers over two years, in which there were no construction accidents or lawsuits. The stadium is inspected yearly, along with PNC Park, by Chronicle Consulting, LLC, for structural defects and maintenance.

The first event held at Heinz Field was a concert hosted by the band 'N Sync, on August 18, 2001. Prior to the Steelers regular season schedule, the team played a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions on August 25, 2001. Pittsburgh won the stadium's unofficial opening game 20–7, with 57,829 spectators in attendance.

The first official football game played in the stadium was between the Pittsburgh Panthers and East Tennessee State, on September 1. The Panthers won the game 31–0, with quarterback David Priestley scoring the first touchdown on an 85-yard run. The Steelers were scheduled to open the regular season play at Heinz Field on September 16 against the Cleveland Browns, however, due to the September 11 attacks, all NFL games of the week were postponed; thus moving the stadium's premiere to October 7, against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Prior to the game, a speech from US President George W. Bush, ordering attacks on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, was shown live on the stadium's JumboTron. The speech was met with much applause and support from the spectators in attendance. Pittsburgh defeated the Bengals by a score of 16–7. Steelers kicker Kris Brown scored the first NFL points in the stadium on a 26-yard field goal, and quarterback Kordell Stewart scored the first touchdown on an eight yard run.

In addition to football games, Heinz Field has hosted other various activities. Since its opening in 2001, bands including 'N Sync, Kenny Chesney, and LeAnn Rimes have performed at the stadium. In addition, hometown bands The Clarks and the Povertyneck Hillbillies have played multiple shows at the stadium. In 2002, the Pittsburgh Marathon concluded at Heinz Field, the course was altered from past years to allow competitors to cross the finish line on the field. In 2005, the Pittsburgh Wine Festival was held at Heinz Field, over 2,000 people attended. In 2007, writer Bill Evans named Heinz Field the second best stadium in the NFL, behind Lambeau Field, in an article for ESPN.com. Although both stadiums received a score of 54 out of 70, Sports Illustrated named Heinz Field the second best stadium in the NFL, also behind Lambeau Field.

In June 2001, Kentucky Bluegrass was laid on the field, at half the height of most NFL field's 2-inch (51 mm) grass. The field is heated from below, using a mixture of antifreeze and hot water, to keep the field at around 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) in order to keep the grass growing year-round.

The field was re-surfaced multiple times, until the synthetic-enhanced Desso GrassMaster was installed in 2003. Debate continued over the surface after players began slipping during game play. Despite this players and coaches of Pitt, the Steelers, and their opponents supported keeping the current turf.

On Friday, November 23, 2007, Heinz Field hosted four WPIAL championship football games which were followed the day after with a game between Pitt and South Florida. After discussion with the NFL, Steelers ownership made the decision to re-surface the field for their nationally televised game against the Miami Dolphins. A layer of sod was laid overtop the 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) Desso GrassMaster surface. The field's condition was exacerbated by 1½ inches of rain after the new sod had been laid, which did not allow the tarp to be removed from the field until 70 minutes before the game began. The Steelers won the game 3–0, with a field goal by Jeff Reed with 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Scott Brown, of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, called the field a "veritable mud pit".

While Gene Upshaw, head of the National Football League Players' Association, also criticized the field citing a 2006 survey of NFL players that ranked Heinz Field as the second worst field in the league. Steelers receiver Hines Ward called the playing conditions "horrendous" after the game. However, the following day Ward and other Pittsburgh players lobbied to keep the natural surface stating, "I think everybody wants to keep the grass."

Debate continued over the field later in the season when Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor called the field "a lawsuit pending". Pittsburgh's ownership stated that the decision was up to the players, who once again defended the natural surface. In February 2008, the Steelers announced that they would keep the Desso GrassMaster surface. During the 2008 season quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was given a concussion after being hit at Heinz Field. He later stated, "I'm glad we weren't on FieldTurf. That grass—you know, the soft Heinz Field—might've helped a little bit." After the 2008 season, a poll of 1,565 NFL players rated the surface at Heinz Field as the worst of the 18 natural surfaces in the League.

As of 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers have sold out every home game since the 1972 season.

Entering the 2008 season, the Steelers average ticket price of $67.47 was the 17th highest out of the NFL's 32 teams. The majority of the 65,050 seats are colored "Steeler gold", though club seats are dark gray. Heinz Field features 1,500 seats in 129 luxury boxes, with prices ranging from $44,000 to $125,000 depending on location and size. These boxes were predicted to increase the Steelers' profits from $10 to $11 million per season over those at Three Rivers Stadium.

The stadium also features 6,600 club seats that include a restaurant and an indoor bar, at prices up to $1,900 per person. For the 2008–09 season ticket prices for Panthers games range from a maximum of $270 per club seat with required donations per seat between $250 and $500 depending on location, to as low as $72 per seat for upper end zone sections.

Attendance for Panther games has varied; four games were sold-out through the stadium's first seven seasons. The Panthers averaged 59,197 people per game throughout the 2003 season, however, the figure dropped to 33,680 in 2007.

Desing: Capr/55