Who will be paying for the expansion?
The owners of the United Soccer League’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds plan to expand the team’s stadium capacity from 5,000 seats to 15,000 seats by 2028. The 2028 date is no accident as that is when the United Soccer League will become a Division One soccer circuit in the United States and Pittsburgh ownership plans to be part of that tier. In order to do so, the stadium had to be expanded to a minimum of 15,000 seats. The project is going to cost $125 million although tariffs and trade wars might increase that number substantially, The stadium will also be home to the Pittsburgh Riveters franchise of the USL W League. Who will be paying for the stadium expansion? Good question. The Riverhounds ownership group said there will be a private-public partnership funding the project. Pennsylvania taxpayers will be kicking in $3 million but that is a very small expenditure. No word yet on where the rest of the money is coming from. The Riverhounds ownership is making the case that this will be a worthwhile investment for taxpayers claiming that the Riverhounds finished stadium will generate $243.4 million in new taxes for Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The United Soccer League plans to go “major league”. The USL has been around since 2011 and has been considered a minor league or Division II grouping by the United States Soccer Federation. The USL has 24 franchises, most of them are in smaller markets that would not necessarily be considered major league markets. The league has franchises in some big-league markets including Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, New York, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio and the Tampa Bay area. Pittsburgh Riverhounds ownership wants to make the jump.
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