Cashing In On Sports
Second Chance 'Hounds
By Guy Junker

Pittsburgh professional soccer history is littered with the bones of many teams that thought they could bring the world's game to town and make it popular. Outdoor teams like the Phantoms of the National Professional Soccer League and the Miners of the American Soccer League. Indoor teams like the Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League and the Stingers of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. None survived.

Currently, the local professional team is the Riverhounds. Their path has looked eerily similar to those teams mentioned above. They started out drawing decent crowds at Bethel Park Stadium, but attendance steadily declined. Last year they dropped from the A-league to second division in the United Soccer League, moving their games to Moon Stadium.

But they have a new home and a new owner for next season, and soccer fans should rejoice. If anyone can make a go of professional soccer in the Pittsburgh area, the folks that own the Washington Wild Things baseball team can.

Last month, Sports Facility LLC, the parent company of the Wild Things, acquired the Riverhounds. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds Football Club will play their home games at Falconi Field, the same Washington, Pa. facility that has been filled to over 100% capacity for Wild Things' minor league baseball the last three years.

The Wild Things have been successful on and off the field, winning two division titles and twice being named Frontier League Organ-ization of the Year.

"We're really excited to see this group purchase and operate the Riverhounds franchise, because they have a proven record for success," says Tim Holt, vice president of the United Soccer League. They aim to use that blueprint for success for soccer.

John Swiatek, managing partner of the Wild Things and now the Riverhounds, thinks that despite the past failures of professional soccer in Pittsburgh, this venture is going to be different.

"We hope to apply a lot of the same ideas that have made the Wild Things so popular. It will be fan friendly, we'll have $4.00 general admission tickets, and we aren't looking for huge numbers in attendance," he says.

His group is shooting for 25,000 total for a 10 game season and two exhibition games. That doesn't seem unreasonable at a venue like Falconi, which will be much more appealing than a high school stadium. 

"We'll offer Riverhounds' fans the same things we offer Wild Things' fans," says Jeff Ptak, director of sales and services at Falconi Field.

This all came about as Swiatek and his group explored ways to use Falconi Field for events other than Wild Things' games. It started with the thoughts of hosting a few Riverhounds exhibition games and ended with the Wild Things purchasing the team.

One of the concerns was what it might do to the playing surface at Falconi as the United Soccer League and Frontier League schedules overlap.

"We went up to Rochester, New York where the soccer team shares a stadium with a Triple-A baseball team and they make it work quite well," says Ross Vecchio, general manager of the Riverhounds and Wild Things (and a former college soccer goalie himself).

Mark Tallarico, the executive director of the Washington County Tourism and Promotion Agency, sees the joint venture as great news.

"We are delighted to see the growth of entertainment venues in our county," said Tallarico. "People can now travel to Washington County to enjoy two professional sports teams."

The Riverhounds have been working with grassroots sports organizations, such as youth soccer group PA West, "to monitor the likes and dislikes of the public to be sure we can have an appealing product," says Swiatek.

Whether or not the Riverhounds can be a successful entity under the management of Sports Facility, LLC remains to be seen. Professional soccer has always fought an uphill battle around here. But their sound principle of providing affordable family fun has been the key to their baseball success. The challenge now is to market the world's pastime the same way as America's pastime, and make it work. 

Guy Junker covers sports business for Pittsburgh Sports Report.