USL PRO Feature
Friday, June 13, 2014
The opening of Highmark Stadium in 2013 was a landmark achievement for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The outstanding facility brought a brighter spotlight to the club, and the team played to packed houses throughout the season as an entertaining side led by USL PRO Most Valuable Player Jose Angulo reached the playoffs before bowing out to eventual champion Orlando City.
As big an impact as Highmark’s opening had for the Riverhounds, the impact was also greatly felt among the club’s biggest supporters, the Steel Army.
“We figured we would grow with the stadium, but were unprepared for how much we grew during the course of the 2013 season,” said Kyle McHenry. “The home opener in was absolutely nuts – we ended up shutting down traffic on the main road in Station Square on our march to Highmark Stadium. The section was out of control, in a good way. For those of us who toughed it out the previous years it was a dream come true.”
Toughed it out is certainly an apt description of life before Highmark for both the Riverhounds and the Steel Army. Formed in 2008 upon the club’s return to action, founding members such as McHenry, Bryan Seybert, Michael Johnson, Chris Esposito, Phil Anderson, and Maria Petrillo worked to try and help the group grow, but with the club situated in a high school stadium well outside the city, it was difficult to generate the same enthusiasm among their friends.
“It was tough to get people to come out,” said Seybert. “Also, it may seem minor but not being able to enjoy a beer while watching the game, or even just tailgating, because they played in a high school turned a lot of people away.
“Soccer has a bit of an uphill battle around here, and a lot of people looked down on the team due to the location. Our numbers fluctuated a lot over the first few years. Sometimes we would have 20-to-30. Sometimes we were lucky to get 10. It was extremely difficult to build strength in numbers while at Chartiers Valley, but those of us who toughed it out became a tight-knit group that has given the Steel Army a solid leadership core as we moved forward.”
That leadership proved invaluable last season as the Steel Army’s membership grew by leaps and bounds. This year the group began charging dues for membership, to facilitate pre-game tailgates and tifo displays, and they were overwhelmed by the number who were eager to sign up.
“We ended up doubling our projections for the season before the 2014 home opener,” said McHenry. “Despite the Hounds being at the bottom of the table this season, so far the Steel Army has surpassed all expectations. There’s been numerous occasions where people who weren’t that big into soccer came to check out the stadium and end up having an amazing time in the supporters section. When the next home game rolls around they’re back and they brought some friends. Highmark Stadium has forever changed the Steel Army.”
Judging by the tifos that are regularly on display at Highmark, the dues are being put to good use. At this season’s home opener, the image of Montgomery Burns from ‘The Simpsons’ loomed over the Steel Army’s section with the message ‘Evans, Release The Hounds’. According to Seybert, there is active discussion before each tifo is made within the group, and the process of creation offers a chance for the group’s members to bond away from the stadium.
“Bobby Zebrasky -- our vice president -- had pitched the ‘Mr. Burns’ idea since last season, but we wanted to wait until we had the resources to do it right,” he said. “After we decide on a design our webmaster/graphic artist Kyle McHenry will do a scale mock-up in Photoshop. After the design has been approved we gather all of the necessary fabric and paint, and Maria Petrillo gets to work sewing our giant canvas.
“We usually send out an e-mail or invite through social media 1-2 weeks before TIFO day to inform membership. Participation in the creation of the tifo is entirely voluntary, and we usually don’t know how much help that we’ll have until the day of. The ‘Mr. Burns’ tifo took about half a day and around 20 people to paint it. Tifo days are a great time to bond with fellow Steel Army members over a couple beers and cans of paint.”
Social media, and the group’s website, has been an invaluable tool for the group, as it has been for supporters groups across the league, in getting the message out about the Steel Army, and the Riverhounds themselves. The group also has an active website, which provides news on not only the Riverhounds but the league as a whole in an effort to make an impression on the local audience.
“What inspired the growth of our website was the success of local sports blogs in galvanizing groups of sports fans in the city of Pittsburgh,” said McHenry. “From the Pirates to the Penguins, sports franchises in Pittsburgh greatly benefited from the power-house lineup of sports blogs that memed, criticized, and supported our local sports teams.
“We saw a chance to help generate local buzz about the team when the team clearly need any viral marketing it could get. Not only did we see this as a way to support the club, but also to help “get the word out” about the Steel Army and show Pittsburghers that the supporter’s culture was strongly represented in our city.”
Both McHenry and Seybert have high hopes for not only the group, but also the team’s potential to grow. The Riverhounds’ results this season haven’t been the best, but after a historic victory against Rochester last weekend, the chance still remains for the club to get its season on track and push for a playoff place in September. Winning certainly helps when it comes to building support for a team that has recently landed in the public eye.
“Pittsburghers can be some of the worst bandwagon fans in major sports,” Seybert said. “With the Penguins consistently in the playoffs and the Pirates season beginning in April, it definitely makes it hard for the Riverhounds to get coverage through local media outlets.”
Whether witness to wins or losses in rain or shine, however, the Steel Army will remain as resolute in its support as it has since its inception.
“We view the responsibility of the Steel Army to tend to the bandwagon until the rest of the city is ready to jump back on,” said Seybert. “We’re going to continue to creating an amazing atmosphere at Highmark Stadium that makes people want to come back, but the biggest thing that is going to help the Steel Army grow and flourish is a winning soccer team.”
“As the late Al Davis would say, ‘Just win, baby’,” added McHenry. “And yes, it really is quite simple. Put the ball into the net, and we’ll go bloody mental.”