Pittsburgh Hotspurs join United Women’s Soccer

This release originally appeared on UWS Soccer.

Dec 16th, 2021 (Metuchen, NJ) – United Women’s Soccer is excited to announce the addition of Pittsburgh Hotspurs, set to begin play in 2022. The club will field a first team in the UWS national pro-am league and a second team in UWS League Two (UWS2) next season. As the very first club with a full development pathway for both females (and males) in the Pittsburgh area, the addition of two women’s teams in the league was a natural next step for the Hotspurs.

“We are thrilled to welcome the addition of the Pittsburgh Hotspurs to United Women’s Soccer,” said League Commissioner Joe Ferrara. “The region is a growing market for women’s soccer, and the Pittsburgh market is perfect for UWS from an alignment perspective. The staff’s experience and passion was evident in every call and meeting with the leadership team.”

Pittsburgh Hotspurs is one of the fastest growing youth programs in western-PA. The club’s academy (U8-19) has over 850 players, plus another 300 in the talent pool with their partner Arsenal FC of Pittsburgh. Through the Hotspurs partnership with Arsenal, they have established a pathway that has top players in the U16-U19 ages to train and compete with their adult teams. On the women’s side, players will be among the talent competing for and filling out the UWS & UWS2 rosters, showing the depth of talent in the Pittsburgh area.

“We are constantly looking for ways to provide our players top opportunities to compete at the highest level and to really showcase the depth of talent coming out of this area,” said Head Coach & Club Director Tom Ovenden. “Transitioning to now have two women’s teams competing in the summer months in a top league that reflects the same standards that we strive for, enables us to bring our style of play and level to a wider audience and continue to shift the game forward — we’re buzzing!”

Pittsburgh Hotspurs’ women’s team has been under the Hotspurs brand since 2020, when they took ownership of Steel City FC, which was previously coached by Club Director Tom Ovenden and co-launched by current first team Player Coach, Jordan (Daloisio) Johnson. 

Scott Arnold, joins Ovenden on the sideline as an assistant coach and Marikaye DeTemple serves as the General Manager & Marketing Director of the women’s and men’s teams.

“I grew up loving to play, yet the direct interaction to watch and participate in the game at the highest level just wasn’t as accessible,” said GM Marikaye DeTemple. “Since launching our Women’s teams, our girls (that I get to coach all year long) are getting even more excited about the game! With the two teams competing in UWS1 and UWS2 this summer, they get top female role models to watch and inspire them right in their backyard.”

“It’s exciting to work with Tommo and Jordan, who have been a part of growing the Women’s game and ensuring the top Pittsburgh talent has a place to compete for quite a few years. We’re all thrilled to now be with UWS to keep raising the level and standards of Pittsburgh soccer and providing a full pathway for the girls to compete.”

Pittsburgh Hotspurs will play their home matches at Founders Field (101 Eisele Rd, Cheswick, PA 15024). The Women’s teams will have tryouts on Monday, December 27th, 2021 at No Offseason Sports (904 Little Deer Creek Valley Rd, Russellton, PA 15076) at 6 PM.

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