Pitt football is making a bold move to reshape its game-day experience-and not everyone’s thrilled about it.
Starting with the 2026 season, the university is closing off the upper east and west sides of Acrisure Stadium, trimming its seating capacity down to 51,416. The goal?
Create a tighter, louder, more intimidating home-field environment. But for longtime fans like Pete Coates, who’s been attending games with his family since the Heinz Field days, the change hits close to home-literally.
Coates, a season ticket holder from Hudson, Ohio, has spent years watching Pitt from the same vantage point: front section of the 500-level, tucked under the overhang. It’s where he’s seen big plays unfold, where he’s raised his kids on Panther football.
“I have photos at home somewhere of me holding a three-month-old baby up in those seats, my first child,” he said. “I love being on top of the action, and I can get a great view of the whole field, and watch the plays develop very well.”
That section, like much of the upper deck, is now off-limits. The university is offering displaced fans priority access to lower-level seats at prices comparable to what they’ve been paying-but for Coates and others, it’s not just about price.
It’s about place. “It’s not being respectful to longtime ticket holders,” Coates said.
“I don’t think they were fully prepared for the onslaught of people calling and trying to make their arrangements.”
Pitt athletic director Allen Greene said the decision stems from fan feedback. The message was clear: fans want a more electric atmosphere. “This will improve the fan experience,” Greene said, aiming to turn Pitt football into “a must-attend event.”
That’s the vision. But the transition has raised concerns, especially around pricing and availability. A university spokesperson said many fans “will have the opportunity to pay less, or a comparable amount, than they have in the past,” and that the ticket office is proactively reaching out to affected account holders.
Coates, for his part, understands the business side. “They need to generate more revenue and so I totally get it.
I don’t begrudge them for it,” he said. Still, the emotional side of being a fan-of having your spot, your routine, your piece of the stadium-can’t be ignored.
As for the now-empty upper-deck sections? The school says they’ll “most likely” be covered with tarp. It’s a cosmetic fix aimed at maintaining a clean stadium look while concentrating fans in the lower bowl.
Student seating, meanwhile, isn’t changing. Pitt is keeping the student section at 10,000 strong-an important piece of the home-field puzzle, especially if the goal is to build a more raucous, unified crowd.
Looking ahead, Pitt plans to reevaluate all season ticket holders for the 2027 season. And when it comes to marquee matchups, the school says it will “always evaluate the strategy,” leaving the door open for adjustments if demand spikes.
Bottom line: Pitt is betting that a leaner, louder stadium will give the Panthers a stronger edge and create a better overall experience. But for fans like Coates, who’ve spent decades building memories in the same seats, the shift is more than logistical-it’s personal.