Thursday, December 9, 2004 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds News Release

 

WASHINGTON, PA -- Officials of Sports Facility, LLC, the parent company of the Washington Wild Things, announced it has acquired the Riverhounds Soccer Team at a press conference Thursday.

“We’re excited that the Riverhounds will finally have a state-of-the-art, professional facility to call home,” said managing partner, John Swiatek.  “Falconi Field offers many amenities to the Riverhounds, and I’m sure they will find it to be a superb new home.”

Alliance Soccer Resources, Inc and Sports Facility, LLC entered into the agreement December 8th when Paul Heasley, president of Alliance Soccer, agreed to the sale.

“These past seven years have been terrific for us, said Alliance Soccer Resources President and CEO Paul A.Heasley.  “While it hasn’t been without challenges, it has been a true pleasure to have been a part of bringing professional outdoor soccer to Western Pennsylvania.  The young men who fielded our teams during these past few years have been outstanding athletes.  Our staff, recognized among the best in the United Soccer Leagues, can hold their heads high, knowing they have always worked hard and had only one consideration – our fans.”

“We intend to follow the same blueprint with the Riverhounds that we did with the Wild Things,” said Ross Vecchio, Wild Things’ general manager.  “The Wild Things have been a huge success because of the entertainment value we offer.  We want to do the same thing with soccer…the games will be fun!”

Tim Holt, vice president of the United Soccer League said, “We’re really excited to see the folks from Sports Facility, LLC purchase and operate this franchise because they have a proven record of success.  We think their experience with the Wild Things and minor league baseball will transfer nicely to professional soccer.”

The Riverhounds will begin their season with two exhibition games in April at Falconi Field.  “Besides the obvious reasons – giving the team the opportunity to play a game before the season, this will be a dry run for us operationally,” said Vecchio.  “It’ll be the first time we’ll set up the field for soccer in front of a crowd, and it will give us a chance to see how it will work.”

According to Mark Tallarico, executive director of the Washington County Tourism and Promotion Agency, “This is another great reason for people to travel to Washington County.  As an agency, we are delighted to see the growth of entertainment venues in our county.  People can now travel to Washington County to enjoy two professional sports team…The Riverhounds and the Wild Things.  It’s another thing that puts us on the traveler’s map!”

“We believe the Riverhounds will impact the economic climate in Washington County, and we know how important that is,” said Swiatek.  “Falconi Field is easily accessible adjacent to Interstate 70 where more than seventy thousand cars travel daily. Because the field is only a half hour from Pittsburgh and a half hour from Wheeling, people won’t hesitate to jump in their cars to catch a match.  When people come to the field, we know they visit other area businesses like restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and malls.  We have worked closely with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.”

With the acquisition of the Riverhounds, Sports Facility will employ six additional full-time staff members, bringing the full time staff at Falconi Field to 18 in addition to the 150 seasonal employees.

Transforming a baseball diamond into a soccer field is hard to visualize, but not too difficult to do, according to officials at Falconi Field, home of the Washington Wild Things and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

“We will transform our baseball diamond into a state-of-the-art soccer field for all of our home games,” said Ross Vecchio, general manager.  “It is difficult to visualize when you haven’t seen it done before, but we looked to Rochester, New York.  They have the same situation we’ll have….minor league baseball and professional soccer, and actually, they make it work well.  We’re confident with their model, we, too, will be able to accomplish using the field for both venues seamlessly.”

The soccer field will run from east to west, extending from the Rolling Rock Party Pavilion to the first base dugout area {see diagram}.  “This configuration works well because it allows Riverhounds’ fans to use the stadium to its fullest capability,” said Vecchio.  The Rolling Rock Party Pavilion will function as a great party area, right behind the goal.  People will be able to sit, have a burger and a drink, while watching some great soccer.”

“The soccer field will be further defined with a set of bleachers in what, during baseball season, would be the right field,” added Vecchio.  “The field will be flanked with the standard A-Frame sponsor signs, common in soccer.  Falconi Field will actually make an attractive setting for soccer. I really think people will like it.”

The Riverhounds’ staff will also lease the luxury seats for soccer matches.  The suites are used for private parties, and offer a climate-controlled atmosphere where fans can enjoy a buffet dinner and a match in a living room setting.  The suites are equipped with pool tables, electronic dart boards, leather furniture, televisions, and more…all with a bird’s-eye view of the field.

Other amenities offered at Falconi Field include the Party Deck, the kid’s play area, including the video arcade, speed kick and bounce house, and the birthday zone.  “We’ll offer Riverhounds’ fans the same things we offer our Wild Things’ fans,” said Jeff Ptak, director of sales and services.  “Kids can enjoy a special birthday at the field; teams can go on the field as part of our field of dreams program, and we’ll welcome corporate parties, family reunions, and more in all of our group areas in the ballpark.”

The Riverhounds will play 10 regular season games and two exhibition games at Falconi Field during the 2005 soccer season.  The first exhibition game is scheduled for April 3.  Season ticket packages are available at the Falconi Field Box Office.

The Riverhounds will look and feel a little different in their new home according to Sports Facility officials.  “The Riverhounds have been a signature sports team during their tenure in our area,” said Ross Vecchio, Wild Things’ general manager.  “We want to build on their success and take it a step further when they move to Falconi Field.”

The team will have a new logo that positions them as Riverhounds FC (football club).  “Globally soccer has been known as football,” said John Swiatek, managing partner.  “We want to bring that global feel to Washington.  We think there are a number of merchandising avenues we can take with the new look and feel.”

According to Vecchio, “We want to carry some of our baseball success over to the soccer side of our business.  We will focus on making it fun for everyone at the match…the soccer fanatic as well as the non-fan.”

According to officials The Riverhounds have been working with PA West and Youth Soccer.  “We surveyed the members of PA-West to see what their interests are.  Partnerships and alliances like the one we have with PA-West will help us monitor the public’s likes and dislikes so that we can be sure to have an appealing product at Falconi Field,” said Swiatek.

Riverhounds Tickets will be more affordable across the board in 2005 than they have been in the past.  “We have tickets ranging in price from $4.00 general admission tickets {for seniors and children under 12} to $12.00 tickets in the Sideline Club,” said Vecchio.  “We know ‘affordable family fun’ has been a key to the success of our baseball team, and we intend to make it a key to the success of our soccer team.  We have something that can work in every budget, and it’s all in the beautiful surroundings of Falconi Field.”

The Riverhounds begin the season with two exhibition games on April 3 and April 10.  Season ticket packages are currently available at the Wild Things kiosk at the Washington Crown Center or by calling the Falconi Field ticket office.