With one week to go before the NFL Draft begins on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, construction crews remain busy on site.
Steve Farago, the NFL’s director of event operations, said Thursday that work on the North Shore and Point State Park sites is progressing as planned and remains on time.
“This is our normal timeline, and talking to the crews this morning, we are on time,” he said. “It might not seem like that, but we have a very specific timeline almost down to the hour of when things need to be built.”
The NFL builds in some extra time in case of weather or other issues, Farago said.
“We feel confident — we’ve done similar builds like these in other cities, so we have that schedule down, and we react accordingly if anything changes,” he said. “But we’re where we need to be in preparation for Thursday for sure.”
Continued construction
The main logistical challenge for the NFL, Farago said, has been the overall coordination of the event. He has no major concerns as of now for any logistical issues next week.
“There’s so many moving parts with what we’re bringing in, what we’re doing with the city and the time it takes, so making sure that everyone’s working in concert together,” he said. “That’s why we start two and a half years out.”
The large arch structure being built on Art Rooney Avenue and into Gold Lot 1 in front of Acrisure Stadium is the NFL Draft Theater. It’s where commissioners and prospects will come onstage once their names are announced.
He said that location was chosen for the theater and stage so that when cameras pan to the crowd, the city of Pittsburgh’s skyline will be in the background of the broadcast.
“The rivers running through our site is a good backdrop,” Farago said. “What we love to show is the city and that crowd.”
As of Thursday, crews were still working on the production and scenic design elements of the theater, he said, which include LED boards and a gold bridge that arches over the stage. Hospitality tents and broadcast sets were being installed.
“We really wanted to bring the city to life, so you’ll actually see a replica of one of the sister bridges built there as well,” Farago said.
The “rich history of football in Pittsburgh” will be a common theme throughout the show, as well as the storytelling during the three days of the draft, he said. Pop art will be featured as a nod to Andy Warhol.
“It’s a celebration of the city of Pittsburgh,” Farago said. “(The) campus gives us an opportunity to highlight the city. … It’s very accessible from other cities and host clubs, so we expect a lot of visitors coming in from out of town.”
Once the scenic design of the theater is done over the next few days, crews will bring in cameras, lighting and seating, Farago said.
Building the fan elements is being done in concert with the overall draft safety and security plans, he said.
“Safety is of the utmost importance,” Farago said. “We want to make sure that those plans are in place to make sure the fans are having a safe and enjoyable time.”