The Pittsburgh Sledgehammers are a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

football team based in the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

area. They are currently confirmed to be affiliated with the new

USA Rugby League The USA Rugby League (formally the US Association of Rugby League, Inc.) is the national governing body for rugby league in the United States. The organization is responsible for running the domestic club competitions and the United State ...

. They play their games at Founders Field in Cheswick, Pennsylvania. 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 The Bucks County Sharks were a rugby league football team based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The team currently plays in the USA Rugby League. Originally known as the New Jersey Sharks, the team was founded in 1997 and joined the now-defunct ...

, who had suspended operations for the year. Their first scheduled match was against the Washington, D.C. Slayers, 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. In 2011 the team was one of seven teams to leave the AMNRL to form the new

. 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

and the

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

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 Rugby league teams in the United States 2010 establishments in Pennsylvania Rugby league in Pennsylvania

History

Logo and colors

See also

References

External links