Volleyball in the Steel City, sponsored by the Steelers

Two posts on the AVP tour in a 7-day stretch?  You’d almost think the AVP was paying me to talk about beach volleyball (*NOTE: any AVP officials reading this post, feel free to contact me, and pay me money.)

This week’s look at the AVP tour takes us to my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  And I only have six words for Pittsburgh residents…

“Are you ready for some volleyball!”

For the first time, the Association for Volleyball Professionals will bring its AVP Crocs Tour to the plaza at Heinz Field, drawing 150 of the world’s best pro beach volleyball players to Pittsburgh for a professional tournament scheduled to coincide with the Three Rivers Regatta.

A Pittsburgh date has tentatively been added to the league’s 17-city tour this year, said Leonard Armato, AVP commissioner and CEO, based in Los Angeles. Pittsburgh is expected to replace Louisville, which lost some sponsorship money for the event due to the weak economy.

Plans call for the construction of a 4,000-seat temporary stadium on the plaza level of Heinz Field, with additional courts and temporary stands on Art Rooney Way. Cicchinelli decline to provide financial terms, except that costs and profits will be split three ways between the Steelers, Reach and AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Inc., a Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment entity that operates the tour. The contract has options that all parties can renew after two years, Cicchinelli said.

This should be a fairly interesting development.  Living in Pittsburgh, I don’t really envision us being a “volleyball” town, but then again, I’m not familiar with every Pittsburgh resident.  Regardless, it looks like we will all have the next two years to find out how popular volleyball can be in Steel City.  It’s pretty interesting to note that Pittsburgh, and the Steelers, picked up the AVP tour only after economic problems prevented Louisville from hosting the event.  I would argue that it is a testament to the strength of the Pittsburgh Steelers brand, even in the midst of an economic recession (how many people do I know that would skip paying their rent for Steelers tickets on the 50-yard line? too many).

Volleyball in Pittsburgh, sponsored by the Steelers.  Regardless of the popularity, it seems like a great move financially for the Steelers, who do not seem to be phased by the economy, and have the resources available to hold events that residents otherwise wouldn’t see.  After all, if you are financially secure during a recession, then you’re pretty much experiencing a golden age, no?

Pittsburgh Business Times — Pittsburgh nets professional volleyball tour event for the summer

Tags: AVP Tour, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers, Volleyball, Volleyball in Pittsburgh

Category: Fringe Sports