Petersen Sports Complex
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Petersen Events Center
.
The Petersen Sports Complex (PSC) is a 12.32 acres (5 ha) multi-sport athletic facility on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. It houses Charles L. Cost Field, Vartabedian Field, and Ambrose Urbanic Field, the respective home practice and competition venues of the university's NCAA Division I varsity athletic baseball
, softball, and men's and women's soccer teams. Known as the Pittsburgh (Pitt) Panthers, these teams compete in the Big East Conference
. The complex is located adjacent to the school's Trees Hall
and Cost Sports Center
near the remainder of the universities other upper campus athletic facilities.
on the university's campus. With the demolition of the stadium, the soccer and track & field teams of the university lost their homes. The university's baseball
and softball teams had been long playing in what had been deemed as inadequate facilities on Trees Field
tucked behind the school's indoor Cost Sports Center
. In the interim, the soccer teams had moved their home games to off-campus Founders Field in Cheswick
.
The complex was built on the former Robinson Court housing project. The land was obtained after five years of sometimes contentious negotiations between the university, a housing developer, and the City of Pittsburgh. The final cost of the 12.3 acres (49,776.4 m²) site for the university was a total contribution of $7 million in payments and community contributions which doubled the 2005 bid of several developers. The land sale was formally approved and Pitt acquired the parcel in the second half of 2008. Ground was broken on the complex in the fall of that year. The estimated cost of the complex's construction is $29 million. It is named after alumnus John Petersen and his wife Gertrude who donated an undisclosed amount for its construction. The baseball field has been named Charles L. Cost Field, after an alumni who is also the namesake of the neighboring Cost Sports Center, while the softball field has been named Vartabedian Field and the soccer field has been named Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Petersen Sports Complex hosted its first official athletic contest with a March 16, 2011 baseball game between Pitt and Kent State
. Grand opening ceremonies, termed the "First Pitch Event", occurred on April 9, 2011, and featured contests involving all four sports teams that will use the facility.
Following completion of the sports complex, the former baseball and softball facilities on Trees Field are planned to be turned into a new track and field complex.
-certified "Duraspine" version of FieldTurf as found in Gillette Stadium
and Qwest Field
. The first game held at the soccer facility was an exhibition played by the men's team against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds
on March 20, 2011.
running back Charles L. "Corky" Cost. The scoreboard was donated by Armand C. Dellovade.
The first game held at Cost Field was a 10-7 Pitt loss to Kent State on March 16, 2011. Pitt's first win at the facility was a 9-6 victory over Niagra on March 18, 2011.
Petersen Events Center
Not to be confused with Petersen Sports Complex.The John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It hosts the men's and women's Pitt Panthers basketball teams...
.
The Petersen Sports Complex (PSC) is a 12.32 acres (5 ha) multi-sport athletic facility on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It houses Charles L. Cost Field, Vartabedian Field, and Ambrose Urbanic Field, the respective home practice and competition venues of the university's NCAA Division I varsity athletic baseball
Pittsburgh Panthers baseball
Pittsburgh Panthers baseball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate baseball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt baseball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games at Charles L. Cost Field in...
, softball, and men's and women's soccer teams. Known as the Pittsburgh (Pitt) Panthers, these teams compete in the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
. The complex is located adjacent to the school's Trees Hall
Trees Hall
Joseph C. Trees Hall is a multipurpose student, staff, faculty recreational facility on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed by the architectural firm of Deeter & Ritchey, Trees Hall first opened in 1962, and a second phase of...
and Cost Sports Center
Cost Sports Center
Not to be confused with Charles L. Cost Field.The Charles L. Cost Sports Center is a multi-purpose indoor sports complex at the University of Pittsburgh and located at its upper campus area above and behind the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
near the remainder of the universities other upper campus athletic facilities.
History
The sports complex was a project that had been in development since the 1999 closure of Pitt StadiumPitt Stadium
Pitt Stadium was a stadium located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1999. It served primarily as the home of the University of Pittsburgh's football team, the Pittsburgh Panthers...
on the university's campus. With the demolition of the stadium, the soccer and track & field teams of the university lost their homes. The university's baseball
Pittsburgh Panthers baseball
Pittsburgh Panthers baseball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate baseball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt baseball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games at Charles L. Cost Field in...
and softball teams had been long playing in what had been deemed as inadequate facilities on Trees Field
Trees Field
Trees Field was a facility consisting of athletic fields located at the upper campus of the University of Pittsburgh located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The facility contained both a baseball and softball fields, which were often individually referred to as "Trees Field", as well as two adjacent...
tucked behind the school's indoor Cost Sports Center
Cost Sports Center
Not to be confused with Charles L. Cost Field.The Charles L. Cost Sports Center is a multi-purpose indoor sports complex at the University of Pittsburgh and located at its upper campus area above and behind the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. In the interim, the soccer teams had moved their home games to off-campus Founders Field in Cheswick
Cheswick, Pennsylvania
Cheswick is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,746 at the 2010 census.-History:Cheswick, named for a town in England, is a small town of about . The history of the lands of Cheswick seems to have belonged to the Keen family at least in part, for Archie...
.
The complex was built on the former Robinson Court housing project. The land was obtained after five years of sometimes contentious negotiations between the university, a housing developer, and the City of Pittsburgh. The final cost of the 12.3 acres (49,776.4 m²) site for the university was a total contribution of $7 million in payments and community contributions which doubled the 2005 bid of several developers. The land sale was formally approved and Pitt acquired the parcel in the second half of 2008. Ground was broken on the complex in the fall of that year. The estimated cost of the complex's construction is $29 million. It is named after alumnus John Petersen and his wife Gertrude who donated an undisclosed amount for its construction. The baseball field has been named Charles L. Cost Field, after an alumni who is also the namesake of the neighboring Cost Sports Center, while the softball field has been named Vartabedian Field and the soccer field has been named Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Petersen Sports Complex hosted its first official athletic contest with a March 16, 2011 baseball game between Pitt and Kent State
Kent State Golden Flashes baseball
The Kent State Golden Flashes baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, USA. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference East division, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I...
. Grand opening ceremonies, termed the "First Pitch Event", occurred on April 9, 2011, and featured contests involving all four sports teams that will use the facility.
Following completion of the sports complex, the former baseball and softball facilities on Trees Field are planned to be turned into a new track and field complex.
Complex
The Petersen Sports Complex includes three competition and practice venues, including for baseball, softball and men's and women's soccer. In addition, the complex includes a two-story, 23000 square feet (2,136.8 m²) support building that houses locker rooms for each sport as well as dedicated equipment and athletic training facilities. An indoor batting practice facility, serving both the baseball and softball teams, is also contained within the facility and is located adjacent to baseball's Charles L. Cost Field. A concessions area is located within the portion of the support building that runs along the southeast goaline of the Ambrose Urbanic soccer field. Outside of the facility, a ticket book is adjacent to an entrance plaza that contains a depiction of the University of Pittsburgh's seal in its granite surface. Within the entrance plaza is a statue of the silhouette of an athlete representing each of the fours teams that call the complex home. Behind each of these figures are plaques honoring those that contributed to the construction of the facility.Ambrose Urbanic Field
The men's and women's soccer facility includes the 735-seat Ambrose Urbanic Field. Used for both practice and competition, the facility includes lighting and a press box. The soccer pitch will use the FIFAFIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
-certified "Duraspine" version of FieldTurf as found in Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
and Qwest Field
Qwest Field
CenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
. The first game held at the soccer facility was an exhibition played by the men's team against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Pittsburgh Riverhounds is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1999, the team plays in the National Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
on March 20, 2011.
Charles L. Cost Field
The baseball facility includes the 900-seat Charles L. Cost Field, a press box, in-ground team dugouts, bullpens, and hitting and pitching practice areas. Field Turf synthetic grass is installed in both the infield and outfield to allow for play and practice throughout the year and lighting is installed for evening games. The field has 300 feet (91.4 m) base lines, 375 feet (114.3 m) power alleys, and be 405 feet (123.4 m) to center field. The field was named after 3 sport letterman and former Pitt footballPittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
running back Charles L. "Corky" Cost. The scoreboard was donated by Armand C. Dellovade.
The first game held at Cost Field was a 10-7 Pitt loss to Kent State on March 16, 2011. Pitt's first win at the facility was a 9-6 victory over Niagra on March 18, 2011.