Steelers cannot return to St. Vincent for its 55th year, devastating hopes of a plethora of fans and inflicting a severe blow on the Latrobe economy

Steelers fans line walkway at St. Vincent's College from locker room to 
preseason training fields
Photo: Tribune-Review

… No Steeler football at Chuck Noll Field in 2020

Members of the Latrobe and St. Vincent community were dealt a tremendous blow this week when the National Football League announced that all off-season preseason camps would be forbidden because of health concerns caused by the coronavirus. 

The NFL is concerned first and foremost with the health of its athletes and other personnel, and the bottom line is that the league wants to operate, even if stadiums are half-filled.

However, the Steelers trip to St. Vincent over the past five+ decades has also been memorable for its fans, and they will also miss the joy of the preseason camp, watching the practices and seeing the players coming off the field and signing autographs. 

What is unwritten in these stories is that the trip was also a major boost for the economy of the Latrobe area. From the motels to the restaurants to the stores to the high school stadium, all were recipients of the largesse that the Steelers brought to the area. 

Now, it is gone. Last week, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the ten teams that conduct preseason camps away from their facilities could not do so. 

That forced the Steelers back to Pittsburgh, something that players and coaches may not like — or maybe they will. At this stage, even the logistics are problematic,

Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten announced Monday that the team will conduct training camp at their North Side home base this summer.

“The Steelers are making plans to hold their 2020 Training Camp at Heinz Field,” Lauten wrote on Twitter.

Lauten said in a text that further information would be provided “when we have more details.”

It has not yet been decided if fans will be permitted to attend.

The Steelers have conducted training camp at Saint Vincent in Unity Township every summer since 1966, but were forced to switch locations this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell informed all 32 teams last week that training camps would take place this year at on-site facilities. The Steelers were one of 10 teams that took their players to a remote location for training camp.

Joe Rutter, “Steelers to conduct training camp at Heinz Field in 2020,” 
Tribune-Review, June 8, 2020

Latrobe heartbroken, but understands

The Latrobe community reacted to the news with disappointment particularly since so many of those businesses that could have reaped benefits from the Steeler camp have been devastated by the pandemic,

“I think it’s a shame that that’s happening,” Unity Township super­visor Mike O’Barto said. “It’s definitely going to hurt our business community.”

O’Barto noted Steelers fans traveling from other areas have provided a boost to local restaurants and hotels during the camp.

“The businesses that have been hurt the most because of the virus are going to be hurt again,” he said.

Sharky’s Cafe, a Unity restaurant that is a favorite with Steelers fans, has seen an estimated increase in business of up to 40% during the camp at Saint Vincent, owner John Huemme said.

“If things would have worked out, (the camp) would have put a lot of businesses in Westmoreland County in a better position than what they are from surviving the coronavirus,” he said.

Latrobe Mayor Rosie Wolford said she was disappointed by the NFL directive but acknowledged that “everybody needs to be cautious and listen to the experts” as the community emerges from covid-19 restrictions.

“Hopefully, this is a one-year situation,” she said. “It’s going to be a challenging time for everybody. We’re committed to helping our local businesses get through this.”

Joe Rutter and Jeff Himler, “Saint Vincent won’t host Steelers training camp 
this summer as NFL limits teams’ travel,” Tribune-Review, June 2, 2020

Photo: Tribune-Review

Many problems for Steelers

While the decision has serious ramifications for Latrobe, it also poses dilemmas for the Steelers since Heinz Field has a grass surface. The Steelers minority owner and CEO Art Rooney II has insisted that the Steelers play on grass, even if that does not make much sense in the Pittsburgh climate. 

With the Covid-19 recommendations, this creates another hurdle,

For the Steelers, the options boiled down to Heinz Field and UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the team’s training facility on the South Side since 2000.

The South Side complex, which the Steelers share with the Pitt football program, has ample practice space in the form of three grass outdoor fields and a turf indoor facility. The drawback is the Steelers have just one locker room on site, and in previous years after they broke training camp, they needed to install temporary lockers in the middle of the room to accommodate all 90 players on the roster.

The locker room space at the Rooney Complex isn’t large enough to satisfy the social distancing measures that Goodell outlined to teams in a memo Monday. Before players can return to team facilities – coaches were permitted to return June 5 – protocols must be in place for players to maintain six feet of social distancing. That would require teams to use every other locker or erect additional lockers.

No such spacing issues exist for players dressing at Heinz Field. The Steelers’ gameday home since 2001 has four locker rooms. The Steelers is the biggest at 6,000 square feet, followed by Pitt’s 4,600-square foot locker room and two visiting locker rooms that each measure 2,600 square feet. That is more than enough room for the Steelers to use as a training camp dressing facility.

The drawback to Heinz Field, of course, is the singular grass playing surface. One solution could be for the Steelers to transport some players to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for work on the outdoor fields.

The Steelers bused players from the North Side to the South Side during the 1999-2000 seasons to combat the unfriendly turf playing surface at Three Rivers Stadium.

Joe Rutter, Tribune-Review, June 8, 2020
Conclusion

I feel for Latrobe and St. Vincent and Steeler fans who loved to travel to Chuck Noll Field and watch their beloved team practice. 

Now, who knows what will happen with the season. The fear of a second wave of the coronavirus this fall creates another dilemma for the league, too. 

The NFL has existed since 1933 and has gone through some tough times, but this one may be the worst. 

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