62 Events, 17 Sports, $100M in Impact: Celebrating Pittsburgh’s Sports Success
Get the latest on Pittsburgh sports: major events, youth tournaments, and how our region shines on the national stage!
A Message from Jim Britt
Vice President, Sports Events - SportsPITTSBURGH
Welcome to the inaugural SportsPITTSBURGH monthly newsletter! If you are receiving this publication, then you have likely partnered with SportsPITTSBURGH in the past, either by bringing your competition in our region, attending one of our tournaments as a fan, hosting an event in your venue, or by collaborating with our team in countless other ways. As our team and organization have grown through the years, we recognize that there are so many incredible events and organizations in our region worthy of highlighting, but we were missing a platform to share those exciting updates with our partners. Historically, mega-events like the US Open and the 2026 NFL Draft have stolen the headlines – and rightfully so – but did you know that SportsPITTSBURGH has also supported 62 sporting events featuring 17 different sports across Allegheny County in 2025? Did you know the NCAA has crowned eight national champions in Pittsburgh since 2014, with 9 more championships coming to Pittsburgh in the next 3 years? Did you know that since 2015, the visitors to SportsPITTSBURGH events have spent an average of $100 Million per year in Allegheny County?
Sports are an indelible pillar of the culture of Western Pennsylvania and there are so many reasons to be excited about the future. We hope this newsletter will provide a fun and informative glimpse into activity across our region, while celebrating the remarkable athletic achievements occurring in our backyard, and building new bridges to collaboration on future endeavors. We’ll see you soon in the City of Champions!
Looking Back…
Last month (August 3-8), SportsPITTSBURGH joined the University of Pittsburgh and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh to host the JCC Maccabi Campus Games. The annual Olympic-style competition, which is the largest Jewish youth sporting event in the world, was held in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1998. It involved more than 50 national and international delegations and more than 1,800 athletes who competed in soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, dance, swimming, golf, hockey and other sports at venues across the Pitt campus and nearby.
In addition to providing marketing support, SportsPITTSBURGH worked in coordination with the local host committee and Oakland businesses to provide coaches, athletes and their families with welcome amenities and discounts at local shops and restaurants. More than 20 businesses took part in the initiative with Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh -- University Center, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, Latin American Cultural Center, University of Pittsburgh’s University Club, Oakland Business Improvement District and VisitPITTSBURGH’s KidsBURGH partners among them.
The highly entertaining Savannah Bananas made their first visit to Pittsburgh on August 29-30 and played a pair of games against the Texas Tailgaters before sellout crowds at PNC Park. In addition to the display of genuine baseball skill, “Banana Ball” includes plenty of trick plays, in-game dancing and fan participation -- and even a player who performs on stilts. The reception the Bananas received reinforced Pittsburgh’s image as a dynamic sports and events hub capable of hosting diverse, high-energy experiences. Both games played at PNC Park were carried on HBO Max and truTV and streamed on YouTube, which put Pittsburgh in the spotlight as part of the Bananas’ national tour and showcased the city to a wide audience.
SportsPITTSBURGH, PPG Paints Arena and Intersport Global joined forces to bring the State Farm Women’s Volleyball Showcase to Pittsburgh on Labor Day Weekend. The teams involved were defending national champion Penn State, Pitt -- which has advanced to the Final Four each of the past four seasons -- and strong Arizona State and Texas Christian squads. The matches were nationally televised on FS1 and FOX. SportsPITTSBURGH helped to promote the event locally to youth volleyball clubs and organizations as well as fans, capitalizing on the sport’s growing popularity.
Labor Day Girls Fest, which serves as the kick-off tournament for the Premier Ice Prospects season, took place at rinks around the Pittsburgh area during Labor Day weekend. More than 60 girls youth hockey teams from the U.S. and Canada -- totaling more than 1,500 athletes -- had the opportunity to perform before scouts against high-caliber competition. The games were played at Ice Castle Arena, UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, Baierl Ice Complex and RMU Island Sports Center. SportsPITTSBURGH partnered with Premier Ice Prospects for the event, which was held in Pittsburgh for the fourth straight year.
Looking Ahead
GFNY Pittsburgh-Monroeville, a new international cycling event, will take place on September 21 with more than 500 expected participants. The competition is part of the GFNY Global Series, which includes six events in the U.S. this year. GNFY Pittsburgh-Monroeville will start and finish in Monroeville and offer a recreational 41-mile medium-distance race and a competitive 70-mile long- distance race. SportsPITTSBURGH and Visit Monroeville will co-host the event. SportsPITTSBURGH also connected GFNY with a local cycling group, Project 412 Cycling, to create more in-market awareness and event promotion.
The MYHockey Tournaments Steel City Series is an annual youth hockey tournament in Pittsburgh, and this year it will get underway on September 26. It is expected to involve more than 300 teams and drive more than 8,200 room nights in Allegheny County. SportsPITTSBURGH will collaborate with MYHockey to capture the event through photo and video coverage and strategically connect event planners with local partners capable of hosting large groups and highlighting what Pittsburgh has to offer. Games are scheduled to take place at Ice Castle Arena, Printscape Arena at Southpointe and Pittsburgh Ice Arena.
Head of the Ohio, which attracts rowers of all ages and abilities from across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions as well as southern Canada, will take place in Pittsburgh October 4-5 with more than 1,700 participants expected. SportsPITTSBURGH is supporting Three Rivers Rowing Association and US Rowing as they host the tournament, working with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on signage and other promotional opportunities. Head of the Ohio is more than a rowing competition. It highlights all aspects of recreation and activities along Pittsburgh’s riverfront.
Sales Update
2027 USA Karate Championships
In July of 2027, the USA Karate Championships will take place at the David L. Lawrence Convention with more than 2,000 athletes, coaches, judges and staff from around the country expected to participate. The first time the event was held in Pittsburgh was in 2016, and SportsPITTSBURGH officials played a vital role in securing its return.
Dustin Baldis, head coach of USA Karate, has deep Pittsburgh roots. He’s a product of Penn-Trafford High School who has made his home in the Sewickley-Moon Township area since 1995. Baldis was a member of the USA National Karate Team from 1989-2000 and he competed in the Pan American Games twice. His coaching tenure with USA Karate began in 2005.
“This is great because when the USA Karate Championships were here in 2016, they were considered one of the best-ever, and basically, since then I’ve been pestered with, ‘When are they coming back to Pittsburgh?’” said Baldis, who earned a sport management degree at Robert Morris University. “SportsPITTSBURGH was very instrumental in talking to USA Karate’s leadership and getting them what they were looking for. The athletes coming here will be the elite of the elite, so it’s going to be an exciting championship.”
USA Karate is the national governing body of karate for the United States Olympic Committee. The 2027 event will include junior- and senior-level athletes in men’s and women’s karate, vying for the title of national champion and the opportunity to represent the U.S. in international competition. Estimates are that the 2027 USA Karate Championships in Pittsburgh will result in nearly 3,500 room nights, $3.7 million in direct visitor spending, and attendance of more than 5,000.
On the Road
Each year, the SportsPITTSBURGH team travels far and wide to promote the city at trade shows, industry conferences and the like. Among the group’s recent stops have been:
The United States will be the host country for the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Pittsburgh is actively working through the bid process to serve as the host market for those events. Members of the SportsPITTSBURGH team traveled to the United Kingdom in August for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup and attended the opening match, which featured England vs. United States, in Sunderland. SportsPITTSBURGH also met with officials from World Rugby and USA Rugby to gather important information about the events.
Connect Marketplace is one of the industry’s leading trade shows where networking, professional development and key meetings take place. This year, the event was held in Miami August 25-27, and the SportsPITTSBURGH sales team was on site, participating in more than 20 meetings with event planners. A few of the notable organizations in attendance included the NCAA, Professional Pickleball Association and USA Fencing.
Held in Columbia, SC, the S.P.O.R.T.S Relationship Conference is designed to bring the nation’s top sports event owners and rightsholders together with a very select number of destinations. At the three-day event (September 8-11), the SportsPITTSBURGH team sought to collect RFPs and source events that would be a great fit for the Pittsburgh region.
This year’s NCAA Host Symposium will take place at the NCAA’s offices in Indianapolis on September 15. The SportsPITTSBURGH team will be in attendance to discuss and plan for hosting future NCAA championships. The current cycle requires bids to be submitted this fall. During the summer of 2026, the NCAA will announce future hosts for dozens of championships. Over the past three bid cycles, Pittsburgh has twice been awarded the most NCAA championship events.
