The home of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Riveters is getting a huge expansion.
Riverhounds owner Tuffy Shallenberger announced Tuesday afternoon, that the current Highmark Stadium will be upgraded, allowing for a capacity of 15,000 fans.
The current capacity is 5,000.
The expansion will meet the U.S. Soccer’s Pro League Standards for Division One sanctioning.
With the expansion, the Riverhounds could find themselves in a new league, as well.
“The United Soccer League (USL) recently announced its plans to launch a Division One professional men’s league — the top tier of the sport in the United States — with a 2028 launch date,” a release says. “USL is currently in the process of reviewing applications from clubs interested in its Division One league.”
“Since 2014, we have invested significant capital and effort into this stadium and growing soccer around the area. Now, we have a major opportunity to continue that growth,” Shallenberger said. “This expansion is going be great for our fans and allow us to take our teams to the level we want to reach, but it’s also going to bring additional events here that will help the entire Pittsburgh community. We’re excited to start and take this next step forward.”
Additional premium seating areas will be added along with banquet space, suites and more.
The upgrades will also allow the stadium to hold even more events.
The price tag for the upgrades is a reported $125 to $150 million.
The target opening is 2028 assuming funding, permitting and other variables come together. The team expects the new stadium will generate more than $243 million in new taxes to the City, county and State, attracting half a million people a year.