UPMC, Greensburg Salem agree to 5-year deal on Offutt Field scoreboard
It doesn’t compare with Acrisure’s 15-year, multi-million-dollar stadium naming-rights deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Still, UPMC has agreed to pay Greensburg Salem School District $25,000 to display its name on the Offutt Field scoreboard for five years.
That deal begins in the 2023-24 school year and is part of a new push by district officials to raise extra revenue through various athletic sponsorships.
The UPMC agreement, approved by the school board this month, accounts for the bulk of the $31,350 generated since the district began courting sponsors a few months ago.
Other sponsors, for the fall sports season, have included businesses — Toyota of Greensburg, Kepple-Graft Funeral Home, General Carbide, Hagan Hockey/Hagan Custom Sports and Lennon, Smith, Souleret Engineering — as well as Westmoreland County Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew.
Many of them sponsored individual games.
As for other sponsors who want those attending district athletic events to see their signage, “There is plenty of room at Offutt Field, the high school gymnasium, the middle school gymnasium and the track,” said Ashley Kertes, associate administrator to the superintendent, who is in charge of community outreach. “It would really be a simple way to get some additional sponsorship dollars.”
Kertes recently presented the sponsorship idea to the school board, along with Athletic Director Frank Sundry.
Sundry said the sponsor program could help the district pay for physical improvements without tapping taxpayer dollars.
“It’s separate revenue that could go into improving our facilities,” he said.
Kertes noted any expenditures of sponsorship revenue will have to be approved by the school board. Among projects the board has been considering is an overdue update of the high school gym locker rooms.
Any facilities upgrade would benefit all students, not just athletes, as well as visitors coming to the school district, she said.
“We are working with a sign company to add the UPMC logo to the existing (Offutt) scoreboard,” Sundry said.
The school board agreed to extend through 2027-2028 UPMC’s contract to provide athletic trainers for the district.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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