Pittsburgh Power Bring the Exciting Action of Arena Football Back to Pittsburgh

After several years of rumors that Pittsburgh would be getting an Arena Football League franchise, principle owner Matt Shaner along with Lynn Swann finally made it happen this summer. 

Shaner is quoted as saying, “We are very excited to bring this exciting and fan-friendly brand of professional football to the community.  Pittsburgh has a tradition of great fan support for all its teams, and we are confident the city will embrace what will be an entertaining team in this great arena.”

The Pittsburgh Power are set to play their inaugural season this year, beginning with a March 11th, 2011 showdown with the Philadelphia Soul.  Any Pittsburgh sports fan is sure to have some hatred in their heart for a team from Philadelphia.

This will be Pittsburgh’s second foray into the world of arena football.  The Pittsburgh Gladiators were one of the four founding members of the Arena Football League. 

They made it to Arena Bowl I and III, losing to the Denver Dynamite and Detroit Drive, respectively.  The original franchise is still in the league, currently operating as the Tampa Bay Storm.

I’m sure the skeptic in you might be asking yourself, “Why should I go watch arena football?”  I can tell you from personal experience that the sport features fast action, high flying acrobatic catches, and the game is full of non-stop, high-adrenaline action. 

For those who love offense, there’s usually a plethora of scoring.  The way the game is designed, along with the small field, it’s almost a given you’ll see at least five or six touchdowns per team, unless there’s some strong defensive play.

If you like hard hits and physical play, there’s going to be plenty of that.  Just wait until you see a wide receiver lay out for a tough catch and then slam into the boards.   

Due to the seating arrangements, it always feels like you’re part of the action, and sometimes, if the play develops right, the players end up joining you in the stands.

I’ve spent the past three seasons as the public address announcer for a minor league indoor (they can’t call it arena) football team up in Erie. Our fans always got excited to cheer on the Erie team, and along with the dance team and promotional games and events we ran, our fans usually walked away entertained.

You can always look at it another way.  Tickets to see the other main tenant of the brand new Consol Energy Center are hard to come by these days.  Due to their strong success recently, tickets to a Pittsburgh Penguins game can be quite pricy, but you can take advantage of much lower pricing to see the new arena AND a new sport at the same time.

For the latest information, and to find out how you can take advantage of early discounts on season ticket plans, please visit www.pittsburghpowerfootball.com.

If you like football, I dare you to give the Power a chance.  I think you’ll be impressed with what you see.  Let’s get this franchise off to a winning start and add to Pittsburgh’s reputation as one of this country’s greatest sports cities.