Acrisure Stadium, formerly (and still colloquially) known as Heinz Field, is a stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panthers of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The stadium opened in 2001 as Heinz Field, following the controlled implosion of the teams' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium. In 2021, the owners of the Heinz name, now owned by Kraft Heinz, declined to renew the stadium's naming rights. The City of Pittsburgh approved Acrisure's bid to purchase the rights in 2022.

Funded in conjunction with PNC Park and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the $281 million (equivalent to $ million in ) stadium stands along the Ohio River, on the North Side of Pittsburgh in the North Shore neighborhood. The stadium was designed with the city's history of steel production in mind, which led to the inclusion of 12,000 tons of steel into construction.

Opening

thumb|Heinz Field with downtown Pittsburgh in the background, September 2007

The first event held at Heinz Field was a concert hosted by 'N Sync on August 18, 2001. Coincidentally, they were also the last band to perform at the Steelers' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium. While there has been talk of extending the Pittsburgh Light Rail to Oakland, significant costs were cited during construction of the North Shore Connector, which terminates at Acrisure Stadium. As the naming rights were allowed to expire in 2022, the future name of the stadium was uncertain. However, Steelers president Art Rooney II has said he was "optimistic" about agreeing to another extension with Kraft-Heinz. After unsuccessfully trying to find another local company to purchase the naming rights, the naming rights were bought by Michigan-based insurance company Acrisure in a deal initially reported on July 11, 2022; Steelers minority owner Thomas Tull also has an ownership stake in Acrisure.

However, Kraft-Heinz did not remain outside of Steelers-named sponsorship for much longer after giving up naming rights to the stadium itself; the company renegotiated with the Steelers to instead be the naming sponsor for Gate C, the closest gate to the Allegheny Light Rail station. Kraft Heinz later repurposed the Heinz Field name for the new football stadium for Aliquippa Junior/Senior High School in suburban Aliquippa, Pennsylvania as part of a $1.3 million endowment to the Aliquippa School District for new academic and athletic centers.

Notable events

In addition to football games, Acrisure Stadium has hosted other various activities.

Football

On August 4, 2012, Heinz Field hosted the Women's Football Alliance's National Championship Game, becoming the first NFL stadium to host a title game for any women's football league. More recently, Pitt has averaged 54,710 in home attendance during the 2022 season in which the team posted a 9-4 record and 48,122 during the 2023 season in which the team recorded a 3-9 season.

On September 1, 2022, the Backyard Brawl between the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University met after an 11-year break of the rivalry, due to conference realignment. With an attendance of 70,622 fans, a new record was set for the largest sporting event in the history of Pittsburgh. The previous record was held by Penn State versus Pitt in 2016 with 69,983 in attendance.

Concerts

Since its opening in 2001, bands and artists including NSYNC, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, and LeAnn Rimes have performed at the stadium. Additionally, hometown bands The Clarks, the Povertyneck Hillbillies, and the Pittsburgh Comma have played multiple shows at the stadium. In 2024, President Donald Trump visited the stadium for a Steelers game during his presidential campaign.

In 2025, the stadium hosted Supercross for the first time ever, as well as Monster Jam.

Features

Playing surface

In June 2001, Kentucky Bluegrass was laid on the field,

Seating and tickets

As of 2018, the Pittsburgh Steelers have sold out every home game since the 1972 season.

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Further reading