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Hotspurs Vision
..is to have long term player development at the forefront of everything we do. To this end, our goal is to have 75% of our College Prep Phase players (U16-U19), to have been with the club at some point in the Foundation Phase U9-U12. Furthermore, we want 50% of Hotspurs-grown players to make up our adult team programs by 2023.
Hotspurs Mission
...is to play our role in the US Soccer development pyramid by always putting the player first. To ensure each and every player gets to play at their level to enhance their opportunity to develop, even if that means sending them to another program. We strive to think differently and consistently improve our program ensuring we play our part in the player development pathway set out by US Soccer.
1980s - Hotspurs founded in Sewickley, PA. 1985 is the first official recorded year.
- Hotspurs has always been focused on the players.
- Only one team competed at a time for over 11 years.
- The team was always a high school aged team that only competed and was formed when the Coach, Leo Moss, determined it was a group of players that could compete at the higher level.
- These teams went on to consistently earn the title of State Champs and go on to compete at the National Level.
During this time, Hotspurs was one of the founding teams in the PA West Classic league.
Mid-90s
- Coach Dan Grant and Ron Hitchens approached Moss to take over the club name when he wrapped up his final season.
- In the coming years, the Classic League would shift to requiring specific numbers of teams to compete at the club level. Hotspurs would determine that they would welcome coaches/teams to play as a member of the Hotspurs club while too having the ability to function independently as long as they had a focus on the club philosophy -- that was to have fun, teach and develop soccer players, have a positive team experience valued more than winning championships, and keep the costs affordable for families.
Late ‘90s
- The club started girls teams and shifted their home location to the North Hills.
2002
- Under the leadership of Grant and Hitchens, the club expanded to 5-6 teams, spanning multiple age teams.
- Two of the teams earned recognition as the National Indoor Champs, under Coach Grant.
2016
- With the new league changes, Hotspurs would again make a cultural shift to meet the required number of teams needed to be recognized as a club.
- Coach Tom ‘Tommo’ Ovenden joined Hotspurs as the Academy Director. With a vision to grow as a club, define a true club culture, and establish a dedicated long-term player development model, Ovenden has grown the club to 450 athletes from 9-19 years old in 2019.
2019
- The club had planned to launch a men’s and women’s adult team by 2023, but with an opportunity to ensure that Pittsburgh had representation in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), in 2019, the club launched their own men’s adult team.
- 71% of the inaugural team were Pittsburgh area players. 8 players were still competing in the academy level (5 with Hotspurs, 3 with Riverhounds), and another five just graduated high school as the season got underway.
- The academy program announced the expansion to include a second site in Butler, PA. The initial site is comprised of 15 boys teams (U9-U18), 185 athletes. The site will expand to include girls teams in fall 2020.
- With a strong relationship with Steel City FC (WPSL), in November 2019 a merger was made with Pittsburgh Hotspurs SC now owning the women’s team to continue on the mission of providing females a full soccer pathway. With the announcement of the Hotspurs WPSL team, the Pittsburgh Hotspurs are the first club in Pittsburgh to provide a full pathway from youth through adult for both male and female players.
If you're good enough, you're old enough.
Present
- Hotspurs began a collaboration with Arsenal FC to provide an additional Phase of development and training for this #homegrown talent furthering the professional development for both programs, giving them greater opportunities to train and compete with the First Teams.
- 2020 saw our First Teams getting the chance to continue to train, but as the world was on pause, limited opportunities to compete. The Men's First Team participated in a 4-team Members Cup and earned Champion status.
Future
- With the women’s team ready to compete, and on track to see the goal of 50% of our first teams made up of homegrown talent by 2023, we are looking out at the goal of owning our own facility.
- We aim to develop a homegrown Hotspurs player to achieve professional level competition.
- Maintaining our focus on homegrown talent, we will expand our international connections to help top players come to play in Pittsburgh and our Pittsburgh players greater opportunities to play internationally.
We believe strongly in keeping our academy program as affordable as possible for families. The money invested by those families goes back into making our academy even stronger.
Our first team is comprised of working professionals looking to continue playing, those aspiring to make it to the next level, collegiate players, and top academy players.
To keep from passing the operating costs (around $35k per team) directly to players, we seek businesses that align with our mission to support our program through sponsorships
The operating costs include:
- Rental of facilities for tryouts, training, games
- League and ref fees
- Player kits -- training and game day
- Coaching staff and athletic trainers
- Water, water bottles, pre-game meals (away games), post-game snacks, first aid kit,
- Training equipment -- pinnies, cones, balls, etc
- Transportation to away games
Additional Community Programs:
In an aim to give back to the Pittsburgh community, the club and First Teams will actively participate in community events such as:
- Development Center Clinics (late spring/early summer)
- #homegrown focus -- feature local artists, brewers, musicians, and businesses.
- Pittsburgh Entrepreneurship and Soccer Camp (summer) -- soccer camp with a focus on teaching the basics of entrepreneurship and marketing themselves/ideas/skills
As we continue to grow the First Teams, providing them top-training and competition, we further the pathway to see our youth players competing in the years to come with the first team.
Our goal is to see 50% of our First Teams made up of homegrown Hotspurs talent by 2023.
Families in the Pittsburgh Hotspurs Youth Program
(8-18 year old player; parents on average are 25-55 years old)
Current adult players
(under 30 leagues, under 40 leagues)
Youth soccer families
(1-3 kids on average, currently playing in the travel, club, school programs)
Collegiate soccer players & fans
(18-22 years old - Pitt, Point Park, Duquesne, Chatham, RMU, Seton Hill)
Interests -- sports, soccer, Pittsburgh sports
parents, fans (25-54 years old)
Feb 2023
Facebook page reach: 53K+
Facebook page visits: 20K+
fans, players, parents (18-54 years old)
Feb 2023
Instagram reach: 14K+
Instagram impressions: 27K+
coaches, teams, active soccer supporters
Average Reach:
Tweet impressions: 82K
Profile visits: 7,953
parents, fans (25-55 years old)
avg 57.8% open rate (industry average 44.3%)
12.3% click rate (industry average 6.6%)
We’re expanding our presence to LinkedIn! We’ll help spread your brand as we grow this fanbase. And we’ll keep you updated as we have reach demographics info available.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
All sponsors will be featured on the Pittsburgh Hotspurs website, and on social media, and email campaigns. We'll cater the outreach based on the time of year reaching our following is most beneficial to your business.
Sponsorships are for both the men's and women's teams.
The Gamble - Front of Jersey (2023) Sponsor Opp - $300
With your $300 donation, you're taking a safe gamble on investing in the team for the 2023 season!
No gamble: Your logo will be featured on our sideline banner (on average approx 2.7 ft h x 6.6 ft w for your logo), the website linked/logo on our website, and social media recognition.
The gamble: Your name will go into a drawing to be the sponsor on the front of our jersey for the 2023 season.
We’ll host an event to draw the winner in March 2023.
Where your $$ goes: One of the biggest expenses in the Pittsburgh area for any soccer program is field rentals. We are fortunate to have dedicated facilities that help accommodate our First Team training and game schedules. Through our ongoing rentals, they're able to continue to maintain and improve the facilities for our players to safely play on.
Interested? Email Marikaye to move forward.
Game Day Sponsor - $500/game (10 available)
As a game day sponsor, you receive your name/logo on our website, social media promotion, a targeted email to our database, in-game recognition on game-day (from signage to announcements throughout the game, and half-time activities).
Each game-day sponsor also receives 1 entry into the front of jersey 'gamble' ($300 package) for the front of our 2023 jersey main sponsor.
Where your $$ goes: Part of our ongoing commitment to our players and developing a competitive team, is providing 3 trainings a week. These trainings require field space rentals, training gear, coaching, and trainers.
Interested? Email Marikaye to move forward.
$1,000+ - Custom Options
- Bring your business team to a game! It's been a long year with distanced everything. As we head outdoors in a safer environment to bring groups together, bring your org of 20 staff and their families to the pitch for an outing! All food and drink provided with top-deck seating. Plus, signage on game day and web promotion for your company!
- Training gear sponsors- Our 60+ players each get shorts and training shirts (shirts already sponsored for 2022 season) that get worn year round. Have your logo put on the training gear, and support the cost of this equipment.
- Youth Training Programs - The First Team players host training programs throughout the community all summer long. Support those programs by sponsoring player fees (scholarships) and get your logo on the training shirt for all participants.
Where your $$ goes: When we travel to away games, we need to keep our players fueled up pre and post-match. For $1k you'll cover the food for each team for 1 of the away games.
Interested? Email Marikaye to move forward.
Sleeve Sponsor - $2,000/season (1 available)
This guaranteed placement on the player's jerseys is for the logo on the player's sleeve. (The league badge is placed on the other sleeve.)
All sponsors get their name on a sideline banner for all games (10 games tentatively -- 5 NPSL, 5 UWS).
Where your $$ goes: Both teams have some travel to do throughout the season. For example, the men's team takes their longest regular-season game to Syracuse (5-6 hours travel 1 way). For $2k, you're helping cover the travel costs of renting a bus, often 2 drivers or an associated hotel fee for the driver to rest, gas, and food!
Interested? Email Marikaye to move forward.
Back of Jersey- $2,500 (1 Available)
The back of the jersey sponsor will have their logo placed on the back of the uniform above OR below the player's number. As well as on all fan replica jerseys.
All sponsors get their name on a sideline banner for all games (10 games tentatively -- 5 NPSL, 5 UWS).
Where your $$ goes: Officials have to be paid and with $2500 you're covering about half of our costs for officials for the First Teams!
Interested? Email Marikaye to move forward.
Sponsor a Player - $250/one player sponsorship
Have a player you specifically want to sponsor? Great! Or just interested in showing support of players specifically? We’ll connect you to a fitting player.
This sponsorship option helps our hardworking (career and students) know they’ve got the support of a community that will help them pursue their soccer dreams.
All player sponsors will have website recognition with your player's profile.
Where your $$ goes: Player sponsorship covers the player expenses including the players kit, meals for away games, and transportation costs.
Interested? Email Marikaye to move forward.
#Homegrown
We believe in what our community has to offer.
We believe in our homegrown, Pittsburgh talent.
We strive to constantly evolve and drive the game forward in the Pittsburgh area with competitive team programs and community-based development centers for athletes of all skill levels. And with your help… we can shift the game of soccer forward in both Pittsburgh and the States.
Contact Marikaye to discuss how we can help you reach your goals, while you help us reach ours!