December 29, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
This continues a series of features highlighting the biggest Riverhounds moments over the past 12 months. Earlier entries on the list are linked at the bottom of the story.
The only entry on this year’s list that isn’t an on-field moment is still a “game-changer” – to use the words of Hounds owner Tuffy Shallenberger – and it will be one that has a positive impact on the club long beyond 2022.
On Nov. 2, Shallenberger was joined by representatives from Allegheny Health Network, as well as state and local government officials to officially open the AHN Montour Health + Sports Medicine Complex at the center of the complex’s full-sized indoor field. And while all of the speakers that day talked of benefits for the Hounds, AHN, the borough of Coraopolis and the entire Pittsburgh region, it was Shallenberger who delivered the most heart-felt comments of the morning with the pride and gratitude of seeing a project he spearheaded come to fruition after more than four years in the making.
The facility is at the center of much of the future growth for the Riverhounds and Riverhounds Academy, giving the pro team a state-of-the-art location for training year-round, in all conditions. As the widest single-span building of its kind, the facility rivals that of NFL and NCAA football teams, and it gives the Hounds an edge compared to pro teams at all levels of U.S. soccer.
Apart from the Hounds-specific usage, the size and amenities at AHN Montour allow the team to host events such as the Riverhounds Holiday Classic, which is being played this week with 3-v-3 and 7-v-7 tournaments for local teams, as well as community events and renting field space for other sports. Upon completion of the seven additional outdoor fields at the complex – joining two existing outdoor fields – AHN Montour will be able to host regional and national events than previously would not have been possible in Western Pennsylvania.
A fuller look back at the ribbon-cutting and more details about the AHN Sports Medicine amenities on site can be found in the original release and photo gallery from the grand opening less than two months ago. But when the Hounds convene for the start of the pro team’s preseason next month, it will be the start of a new era for the club in a truly cozy home.
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