PITTSBURGH – Big changes are coming at the headquarters of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Known as Heinz Field since it opened in 2001, the stadium will now be known as Acrisure Stadium beginning this season, the team announced Monday.
Terms of the new 15-year deal were not disclosed. But Acrisure, which operates as one of the top 10 insurance brokers in the world, has grown its revenue to more than $3.8 billion in just over eight years. It also has the naming rights to an indoor stadium being built near Palm Springs.
“We are excited to partner with Acrisure for the naming rights to our stadium,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Acrisure provided us with the opportunity to ensure that our stadium continues to be a valuable asset to our fans, while also keeping up with the market value of NFL stadiums.”
Pittsburgh-based Heinz initially signed a 20-year, $57 million Heinz Field naming rights deal in 2001 and extended it through the 2021 season last year.
Rooney had been “optimistic” that the stadium would keep its name earlier this year, but ultimately the Kraft Heinz Company did not extend its naming rights again. But on Monday, Heinz posted a message on social media, complete with featured video, assuring Pittsburgh fans that the partnership would continue, raising the question of the future of ketchup bottles.
Two iconic ketchup bottles currently flank the stadium’s video board. Kraft and Heinz merged to form the Kraft Heinz Company in 2015, and the two are headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, Acrisure is a Michigan-based insurance brokerage. And while the company doesn’t appear to have the same local ties to Pittsburgh as Heinz, Acrisure recently acquired part of Tulco, a Pittsburgh-based technology company founded by Thomas Tull, a minority owner of the Steelers. After the 2020 acquisition, Tull became president of Acrisure Technology Group.
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Steelers headquarters will no longer be named after Heinz Field