The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced plans for a new community field and youth-recreation complex at Hazelwood Green.
The complex will be operated by the Steelers Charities and branded with the Steelers logo. Activities will include youth football; clinics with current and former Steelers players and coaches; boys and girls flag football; soccer games and clinics; and renovation of a 10,000 sq. ft. building on the site to enable indoor sports and recreation activities, so the site can be utilized year-round. As it grows, the complex also could include top-tier food and beverage concessions; and enhancements to the main field so that it also could be utilized for high-school sports.
Tishman Speyer, which was selected in 2022 by Almono Partners to serve as the master developer of the 178-acre Hazelwood Green site, will develop the youth sports and recreation complex on behalf of the Steelers.
Construction will begin next year with a grand opening planned for 2025.
“We are excited to be part of this special project which will provide the young athletes of our region access to a state-of-the-art facility at Hazelwood Green,” Dan Rooney, Steelers director of business development and strategy, said in a statement. “Not only will the field be utilized for various clinics and games in the community, but the Steelers plan to use the field for community programming and player-led initiatives. It is a very exciting announcement, and we are appreciative of the efforts of so many people in the community to help make this a reality, in particular the Richard King Mellon Foundation and Tishman Speyer.”
The project is a collaboration of three organizations: The Steelers; Tishman Speyer; and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
The Steelers, one of the NFL’s oldest franchises, were founded 90 years ago by Art Rooney Sr.; today the organization is led by his grandson, Art Rooney II. Tishman Speyer traces its roots back 125 years and is led by CEO Rob Speyer. And the Richard King Mellon Foundation is Pittsburgh’s largest philanthropy and one of the 50 largest in the world; the foundation was founded 76 years ago and today is led by Richard King Mellon’s grandchildren.
The new Steelers field is centered on a shared belief between the three organizations in the central importance of sports and recreation in youth development, and a shared commitment to assure that such opportunities are available to all. The project is meant to decisively address a well-documented shortage of youth-centric sports and recreation destinations in the City of Pittsburgh.
The complex will be built in the section of Hazelwood Green most easily accessible to the Hazelwood community. It will serve youth from Hazelwood and across the Pittsburgh region.
The Richard King Mellon Foundation has awarded a $10 million grant to Steelers Charities, the team’s charitable arm, to fund construction of the new community field.
As master developer of Hazelwood Green, Tishman Speyer will draw upon its experience and expertise managing similar community-focused partnerships with the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and Harvard University. In addition to its partnership with Steelers Charities and the Foundation, Tishman Speyer is working with Carnegie Mellon University on the new Robotics Innovation Center and the University of Pittsburgh on a new biomanufacturing center at Hazelwood Green, the BioForge.
“A key objective of this historic redevelopment is to harness the energy and dedication of Pittsburgh’s most beloved institutions to enrich the neighborhoods surrounding Hazelwood Green,” said Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer. “The Steelers’ field and youth recreation complex embodies that commitment and will give back to the community, the city and its families for decades to come.”
The field will be located at the site’s southeast entrance on Hazelwood Avenue between Gloster Street and Tecumseh Street.
Hazelwood Green is directly across the Monongahela River from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the Steelers’ Southside training complex and offices.
Hazelwood Green is the site of the former LTV Steel mill. A 178-acre riverside tract with a Downtown view, it is owned by three Pittsburgh foundations – the Benedum Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, and the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The three foundations – working together as Almono LP – have collaborated to prepare the site for development, and in partnership with Tishman Speyer are establishing a new model of community-focused economic development, with affordable housing, community recreation and a site-wide commitment to sustainability.
