Kraft Heinz, Aliquippa breaking ground on athletic, academic center near school's football stadium

A year after Aliquippa announced a partnership with Kraft Heinz, the two will break ground Friday on a new athletic and academic center near the school’s football stadium.

The center will include offices, an indoor training facility, a locker room, weight room and a collaborative workspace for students, athletes and the community, according to an announcement from Kraft Heinz. The school last year named its newly renovated stadium Heinz Field.

The groundbreaking was scheduled as part of the “Second Annual Heinz Field Tailgate,” with representatives of the school and Kraft Heinz taking part. The Aliquippa football team hosts Belle Vernon at 7 p.m. Friday.

Construction on the center will start next spring with plans for its completion before the end of the year.

Kraft Heinz announced a $1.3 million donation to the school district last August. Plans for the athletic and activities center were revealed then.

One of the WPIAL’s most successful football programs, Aliquippa has won 20 WPIAL titles. The Quips have reached the past 16 WPIAL championship games, many of which were played at the North Shore stadium while it was named Heinz Field.

Aliquippa’s former Carl A. Aschman Stadium, which was built in the 1930s, had deteriorated in recent decades. The school tore down the stadium two years ago to make room for the new one. The playing surface also was converted from grass to artificial turf before last season.

Tags: Aliquippa