The Pittsburgh Sledgehammers are a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

football team based in the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

area. They are currently confirmed to be affiliated with the new USA Rugby League. They play their games at Founders Field in

Cheswick, Pennsylvania Cheswick is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,672 as of the 2020 census.https://data.census.gov/all?q=Cheswick+borough,+Allegheny+County,+Pennsylvania History Cheswick, named for a town in England, is a small tow ...

. The club was founded as the Pittsburgh Vipers, and joined the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) as an

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

for the 2010 season. In 2011 they were one of seven teams to depart the AMNRL to form the USA Rugby League, adopting their current name shortly thereafter. On February 18, 2011 it was announced they would serve as a "developmental" team in the new league. In June 2015, it was announced the Sledgehammers would be coming out of hiatus and participate in the USARL in the 2016 season under new management.

History

The team, originally known as the Pittsburgh Vipers, was founded in 2010. They joined the American National Rugby League as an

for the 2010 season, replacing the Bucks County Sharks, who had suspended operations for the year. Their first scheduled match was against the

Washington, D.C. Slayers The Washington D.C. Slayers were a rugby league football team based in Washington, D.C. who last played in the USA Rugby League. They played their home games at Duke Ellington Field near Georgetown Hospital. The Slayers, along with the Connectic ...

, but the Slayers were unable to travel to Pittsburgh as scheduled, which meant their first game was postponed. They played their first game in round 2 of the 2010 AMNRL season, where they lost 80–4 against the

Fairfax Eagles The Northern Virginia Eagles are a rugby league team based in Manassas, Virginia, U.S. The club currently plays in the USA Rugby League (USARL). From 2007 to 2011 they were known as the Fairfax Eagles and were based in nearby Fairfax, Virginia. ...

. In 2011 the team was one of seven teams to leave the AMNRL to form the new USA Rugby League. They changed their name to the Pittsburgh Sledgehammers shortly after. In February 2011 it was announced the Sledgehammers would be participating as a "developmental" team in the new league.

Logo and colors

Their jerseys are black and gold, the traditional colors of Pittsburgh sports. Black and gold are the colors of the city's flag as well as the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

and the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

2018 squad

References

External links

Pittsburgh Sledgehammers website
{{Pittsburgh sports American National Rugby League teams Rugby in Pittsburgh USA Rugby League teams Rugby clubs established in 2010 American rugby league teams 2010 establishments in Pennsylvania Rugby league in Pennsylvania

History

Logo and colors

2018 squad

See also

References

External links