Steelers Country planned for Kennywood, Pittsburgh. Parques Reunidos lands the first agreement between a theme park and a National Football League (NFL) team – and it includes a record-breaking roller coaster.
Steelers Country will comprise an immersive land celebrating the Pitsburgh Steelers, the professional American football team which competes in the NFL. The Steelers are veterans of eight Super Bowls and won six of those, including four in six years.
First NFL – theme park agreement
The zone will give visitors the feel of being in the stadium. Fans can run through the team’s entry tunnel, try their hand at practice drills, and check scores and highlights on the massive video screen.
JRA is currently providing complete planning and design for this new themed area.
A variety of skill games and F&B locations (including the End Zone Café) will be featured, alongside exclusive merchandise.
“We are very excited about the partnership with Kennywood,” said Ryan Huzjak, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Steelers. “Being able to connect the Pittsburgh Steelers with a family attraction like Kennywood is a natural fit for both organizations, and we are thrilled about the tradition and longstanding history the Steelers and Kennywood provide to families in and around the city of Pittsburgh.”
“We are excited to be hosting the Steelers family through this partnership,” said Fernando Eiroa, CEO of Parques Reunidos. “This new themed area is a milestone in our strategy to integrate sports in our entertainment offer and we are certain that many fans will enjoy the Steelers immersive experience at our most visited park in the US, Kennywood.”
Record-breaking roller coaster
Attractions will include a record-breaking roller coaster, the 220 feet high Steel Curtain. It has nine inversions, a 197 foot-tall loop and speeds across 4,000 feet of track at 75 miles an hour. The coaster has been designed by S&S – Sansei Technologies (formerly S&S Worldwide) and it breaks numerous records – tallest roller coaster in Pennsylvania, most inversions in North America, and tallest inversion in the world.
Kennywood is the largest of Parques Reunidos’ US parks. It was founded in 1898 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Steelers Country is slated to open to the public in 2019.
Kennywood is upping the ante with its new attractions. The theme park is about to launch its new Thomas and Friends area, one of the largest single-year additions in the park’s 120 year history.
In May this year Parques Reunidos announced a deal with FC Barcelona to develop five indoor entertainment centres themed on the Spanish football club.