The Pittsburgh Steelers are going back to school.
As a way to attract younger fans, the organization hosted a Student Rush Watch Party on Sunday at Schenley Plaza in Oakland.
The event kicked off the 2024 season and also put into play a program where college and university students can purchase discounted tickets for home games. The first one is 1 p.m. Sept. 22 when the Steelers host the Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.
Students fill out a form and can include their payment information or add it later once they are alerted via text message that tickets are available.
Tickets are given out on a first-come first-served basis. There is an average of 100 tickets available per game and they are usually gone within an hour, according to Cecelia Cagni, Steelers director of corporate communications.
This is the second season for the Student Rush program, which is aimed at engaging the next generation of fans, according to the Steelers.
The initiative was the first of its kind in the NFL when it launched last year, said Justin Mitchell, director of marketing for the Steelers.
Other NFL teams offering student incentives include the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. has a College Pass program exclusively for college students to secure last-minute, low-cost deals for Atlanta Falcons games and other events at the stadium.
Last season, 1,837 tickets were sold. There were 7,000 subscribers last season and nearly 9,000 so far this season.
”We want to make it easy for these students to get into the stadium,” Mitchell said. ”We want them to experience Pittsburgh Steelers football.”
The tickets are available to any college student — undergraduate or graduate — with an email address with an “edu.”
Pitt graduate student Ben Cipriano was one of the first of a few hundred students to arrive at the watch party. A Charlotte, N.C., native, he said he has felt a special connection to the Steelers his entire life.
“When I found out the (former) quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers was named Ben (Roethlisberger) I became a fan,” said Cipriano. “I thought it was cool we had the same name. Then, when I heard about this opportunity I thought this is a great way to get cheap tickets.”
The standing-room-only tickets cost $50 — there are no additional charges.
The Steelers have partnered with ticketing software company PogoSeat. Students can sign up for text-to-buy offers by texting “STUDENT” to 888-412-4469. They will receive a notification of a text alert when tickets become available for each game. They can respond with the desired quantity of tickets up to two per transaction. Tickets are delivered via text message.
Through Ticketmaster, the least expensive ticket for the home opener as of Monday afternoon was $165 in the upper level.
Cipriano met some friends and stayed to watch the game on a big-screen television supplied by the team for the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. There was also a wheel to spin for prizes, chances to win money and a miniature golf game. Oh Snap PGH provided a photo booth. Former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes was in attendance for photos.
Pitt juniors Kevin Lewitt, from Westchester, N.Y., Alex Hancock, from Erie, and Jacob Dixon, from Philadelphia, got pictures with Holmes.
Hancock said he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to meet Holmes and ask about his Super Bowl-winning catch. Seeing plays like that one in person is what makes being in the stadium so much fun, Hancock said. And being able to have an affordable ticket helps students, said Lewitt.
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“And we get to experience Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium),” Lewitt said. “I still call it Heinz Field.”
One of the students who got a ticket last season was Maura Riscavage from Haverford, Pa. The Duquesne University sophomore attended the game against the Tennessee Titans.
“It was so much fun,” said Riscavage, who was at the watch party with friends and Duquesne sophomores Paisley Crawford of Titusville and Norah Delaney from Maryland.
The three posed for a picture at the photo booth.
“These tickets are affordable for us,” Crawford said. “As college students, we don’t have a lot of money.”
Mitchell said using this student system if the Steelers make the playoffs is a possibility.
An advantage to standing room only is fans get a communal experience, Mitchell said.
“This is how fandom starts for young people,” Mitchell said. “They can socialize with their friends while watching the game from the end zone. They can get a good view from there.”
The ticket program is about more than getting into a game, said Rebecca Amanor, a junior at Pitt from Harrisburg.
“It is about the community aspect that football brings to Pittsburgh,” she said. “It is cool it is open to all college students, too.”
Details:steelers.com
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.