Century United renews tickets for Supporter Section 102 at Highmark Stadium for 2014

 CENTURY UNITED RENEWS TICKETS FOR SECTION 102 AT HIGHMARK STADIUM

Riverhounds partner club commits to over 5,000 tickets for 2014 USL Pro Season

Pittsburgh  -  Before there was an affiliation with the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer, there was an affiliation with Century United Soccer Club of Western Pennsylvania.  And before there was a professional soccer match ever played at Highmark Stadium, there was an entire seating section of the beautiful, downtown stadium reserved for the hundreds of member families within Century. 

Heading into the 2014 season, there are even more seats held for the growing club. 

As Century United and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds announced their unified player development platform in the spring of 2013, it became immediately evident that managing growth would be a major focus of the partnership.  With record numbers at the Century United tryouts and Riverhounds Academy registrations, and sellout upon sellout at Highmark Stadium for 2013 Riverhounds home matches, the two clubs began to examine ways to harness potential and steer their resources in a positive direction for player development. One such way was to provide opportunities for young players to study the game through memorable family experiences. 

 “The leadership from Century understands the importance of having our young players watch live, professional matches,” said Riverhounds CEO Jason Kutney.  “Even beyond this, to me, Section 102 represents support for the growth of soccer in Pittsburgh, which is the underlying theme of the relationship.  And even beyond that, this is nothing more than families spending time together at a soccer match, in a fast-paced world when less and less time is spent together around a dinner table.”

Century United President, Larry Guess, worked with Kutney to renew his club’s lease on Section 102 of the Station Square-based venue.  In 2013, Century purchased 332 seats per game, over a 14-game season, and was provided a complimentary set of tickets to the first round of the US Open Cup, hosted at Highmark Stadium.  To compensate for his club’s growth since announcing its partnership with the Riverhounds, Guess decided to increase the number of seats throughout the 2014 season, adding an additional 101 seats at five marquee matches including the April 12 home opener and the July 4th Futbol and Fireworks Celebration.  In total, Century will have a bank of over 5,000 tickets to distribute to its members for an action-packed summer of soccer in Pittsburgh.

According to Guess, the decision to add seats was based upon the tremendous response from United families who enjoyed massive tailgates and amazing views of the City while watching their partner – and in many cases, their Academy coaches - in action. 

“The first year at Highmark created many memorable moments for our players and families.....from opening night; to watching the FA Cup Champion (Wigan); through the late season surge into the playoffs,” said Century United President Larry Guess.  “Just as important, is the impact that the game played at this level has as a teaching tool in our collective development model with the Riverhounds.  We look forward to another year filled with unforgettable moments as the Hounds look to bring the USL Pro Championship to Pittsburgh in 2014.”