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Fans receive exclusive access at OTAs, minicamp

With the Steelers 2015 offseason workouts officially in the books, all eyes in Steelers Nation are looking towards training camp at Saint Vincent College.  With open practices throughout July and August, Steelers Nation will have numerous opportunities to watch their team prepare for upcoming season.

Unlike training camp, the recently completed OTA and minicamp sessions were closed to the public and very few fans have ever received the opportunity to watch a Steelers practice in person at the team's training facility.

Steelers Nation Unite changed this for fans over the past four weeks, as members were invited to attend the practice sessions for an up-close look at workouts and the team's training facility. The invitation almost seemed too good to be true for member Brett Homison.

 

Steelers Nation Unite members were given exclusive access to the Steelers OTA practice on Thursday, May 28, 2015.

"When I received the call it was unreal. I actually didn't believe it at first," said Homison. "It was surreal almost. When I found out it was truly going to happen I was ecstatic. This is unbelievable."

The mornings started off with a look at the Steelers six Lombardi Trophies, where members posed for pictures in front of the display.

"It brings back a lot of memories of when I was a youth," said Craig Wyda, a season ticket holder and SNU member. "Growing up and seeing the early Super Bowls and going to games with my father and my friends back then, it kind of brings it all together today as I could bring my son with me and have the same experience."

From there, the groups hit the practice fields, walking the same hallways as the Steelers players and getting a look at some of the workout and training facilities.

Once at practice, the members watched workouts right from the field as the team ran through drills. Perhaps the biggest and most memorable part of each day was the opportunity to interact and take photos with a few players, including Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Cam Heyward, Lawrence Timmons and Maurkice Pouncey.

For season ticket holder and SNU member Ed Alwine, it was exciting to see everything from a firsthand perspective.

 

"It's pretty awesome," Alwine said. "You see highlights and videos on TV, but to actually see it yourself is really cool. It brings it home how great the Steelers organization has been all these years. It's just phenomenal that you get to see this in person. It's pretty neat."

These members won't soon forget these experiences and know firsthand the benefits to being part of Steelers Nation Unite.

"It's amazing. It's been a great experience," said SNU member Beth Kudelo. "I've been tweeting about it and telling all my friends to sign up because it's so easy to do and something just like this could happen [when you're a member]."

Be sure to join Steelers Nation Unite today as more opportunities are coming all year long, including some exclusive experiences and rewards for members attending training camp in July and August.

To join Steelers Nation Unite and be officially recognized as a member of Steelers Nation, visit http://steelersnationunite.com/ or the 'Steelers Nation Unite' page on the Steelers mobile app. Joining is free, quick and easy and only requires an email address and a password to sign up.

Steelers Nation Unite members were invited to the team's practice facility for an up-close look at the final OTA of 2015.

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