No more anticipation
Heinz back at Acrisure Stadium
Heinz has returned to Acrisure Stadium.
Gate C at the North Shore venue now features the familiar Heinz name — one that had been synonymous with the Steelers’ home for 21 years before Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Acrisure took over this season.
The name is displayed above the gate entrance and on three smaller circularshaped signs near the Allegheny light rail transit station on the west side of the stadium.
It was recently installed as part of the new sponsorship agreement finalized in September between the Kraft Heinz Co. and the Steelers.
The deal, believed to be for five years, also included the retention of the Heinz Red Zone, with tilting digital ketchup bottles pouring the condiment every time the Steelers get inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Yet to be sighted is one of the two enormous ketchup bottles that flanked each side of the scoreboard before this season and tilted each time the Steelers reached that point on the field. Both were removed as part of the agreement with Acrisure.
However, under the deal with Kraft Heinz, one of those 35-foot-tall fiberglass bottles will be returning to the football stadium at some point as part of what has been described as an “Instagram worthy, experiential photo opportunity.”
Where or when it will be placed is still a mystery. Kraft Heinz spokeswoman Lynsey Elve said Monday there are no new updates to report on that front.
The agreement between the global food giant, based in Pittsburgh and Chicago, and the Steelers also will feature in-stadium “visuals commemorating the legacy of Heinz Field” and key moments that took place in the venue during the 21 years the company held the naming rights.
Acrisure, a fintech company, outbid Kraft Heinz for those rights this season. The 15-year deal is believed to be worth at least $10 million annually.
That’s much higher than the average of $2.85 million Kraft Heinz paid each year under its first deal with the Steelers. Financial terms of the latest agreement between the ketchup maker and the team have not been released.
Yet to be sighted is one of the two enormous ketchup bottles that flanked each side of the scoreboard before this season and tilted each time the Steelers reached that point on the field. Both were removed as part of the agreement with Acrisure.