Sounding Off

Official Review by Bill Hare, Stadium Journey Correspondent

A distinction must be immediately drawn between the regular CenturyLink Field designation, which applies for National Football League games of the Seattle Seahawks, and the configuration applicable to soccer. That configuration is known as the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.

The normal seating capacity for soccer extends from a good and steady 35,000 average, which constitutes a sellout for Major League Soccer matches, and can be extended by enhancing the configuration and making more seats available. This is done with what in soccer parlance is termed a friendly, meaning a match involving the Sounders pitted against a big name foreign team. The overall capacity for CenturyLink Field, which opened January 28, 2002, is 67,000.

The Sounders began play using CenturyLink Field as its home venue when the team joined the MLS in 2009. All 22,000 season ticket packages offered by the club during that initial season were sold, giving the Sounders the largest number of season ticket holders in the league. That number has now expanded to beyond 30,000.

In the team's first home match played March 19, 2009 a sellout crowd of 32,523 saw the Sounders defeat the New York Red Bulls 3-0.

The Sounders set a state record for attendance at a soccer match August 5 of last season when 66,848 attended a friendly with FC Barcelona.

Food & Beverage    4

A variety is available involving Mexican food along with various favorites such as hot dogs and hamburgers. Many options exist for snack lovers of varying types. Meanwhile the beer drinker has many brands and areas from which to choose at the stadium.

Atmosphere    5

The atmosphere is such a major talking element that Seattle Coach Sigi Schmid earlier expressed a unique point. He mentioned that with the crowds being larger than at other MLS venues and the fans expressing such vocal enthusiasm that visiting teams have fed off the energy of Sounders enthusiasts.

In the final analysis, however, the Sounders are the chief beneficiary of Xbox Pitch fan enthusiasm. After a recent Sounders' triumph Schmid revealed afterwards that his team sought to move out quickly at home to generate the crowd enthusiasm that he said could then give the team a lift.

Neighborhood    5

Here is where the food and beverage factor surfaces in a major way. The stadium along with Safeco Field, home of the American League Seattle Mariners baseball venue, both lie at the eastern end of downtown.

Located to the west just beyond the CenturyLink Field parking lot is Pioneer Square, where Seattle began. Continue walking in that same direction beyond Pioneer Square and one reaches the heart of the downtown area. The downtown section includes the world famous Pike Place Market along with every type of food and beverage establishment one could seek, covering every type of taste encompassing a variety of prices, depending on what customers seek.

Since Seattle has such a strong Asian base many ethnic choices are available to fans before and after Sounders matches whether they be held during the day or evening. Thai restaurants are very popular in the downtown area as well as elsewhere in Seattle.

Some fans venture to drinking establishments in the Pioneer Square area before or after games for beer or cocktails, with perhaps snacks or meals included. In that same area as well as the extensive downtown section earlier described the food choices are unlimited, whether one seeks a simple snack, a sandwich, or a larger meal.

Fans    5

As mentioned earlier, the Sounders have scored so big in this area that opposing coaches and players visiting Seattle have remarked about the energy level felt from the efforts of the team's energetic fan base.

The Seattle Seahawks fans are louder, as evidenced by opposing teams being penalized for offside violations more often at CenturyLink Field than at any other stadium in the National Football League. This gave rise to the famous 12th man label associated with the Seahawks.

Sounders fans do not generate the same type of noise. Whereas the Seahawks enact the roar of an excited crowd, the equally interested and involved Sounders fans fall more into the tradition of world soccer aficionados.

Volume is not the objective. The fans operate in an organized fashion delivering cheers often in the form of song as typical of world soccer fans. There is one frequently invoked cheer that involves fans in one area shouting "Seattle" after which those in another section shout "Sounders."

Access    5

There is plenty of accessible parking at the stadium and in other lots situated in the Pioneer Square area.

For those living in the greater Seattle area as opposed to fans motoring in from nearby suburbs, many are close enough to walk on occasions when exercise is sought.

There is also ample opportunity to use the Seattle Metropolitan Transit Authority with buses available from the city and beyond extending into the suburbs. Two train stations also lie a short distance from the stadium. Many suburban patrons attend games by using the train.

I reside in the Queen Anne area west of CenturyLink Field and not far from the western end of downtown just a few blocks northeast of the Space Needle and Seattle Center.

On some occasions I walk to matches while on others I take the bus. There is a stop just a few short blocks from my residence that transports me to Westlake Center, the heart of the downtown area just several blocks northwest of Pike Place Market.

At Westlake Center one can transfer to a bus obtained in the tunnel, the same point from which riders board the train to Seattle Tacoma Airport. Buses come frequently to take fans the rest of the way to Royal Brougham Way, the street that borders CenturyLink and Safeco fields.

The street was named after Seattle legend Royal Brougham, one of the longest tenured employees in the annals of U.S. journalism. Brougham, who lived between 1894 and 1978, served for 68 years primarily as sports editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

After getting off the bus at Royal Brougham Way it is roughly just a two block walk to CenturyLink Field and the Xbox Pitch.

Return on Investment    5

A Sounders soccer match is a great place to take the entire family. To see fans filing into the stadium in such a quiet and orderly way, they could easily be going to a PTA meeting. The atmosphere inside is wholesome as well as fans root for the home team, but not in an angry way where the opposing team is demeaned and crowd ugliness prevails.

Once inside it is easy to get caught up in the ambience and color of the occasion replete with the sea of green as fans are decked out in that traditional Sounders color. Many, even those not wearing green clothes, wear trademark Sounders scarves.

Extras    3

The main extra is being a part of a wholesome and rewarding experience. As earlier noted, this is a good and stable environment for the entire family. The emphasis is on the positive, on rooting for the local team and sharing the experience with others.

The Sounders team and coaching staff are notably fan friendly. They frequently sign autographs, shake hands, and mingle with fans after matches. Some even provide souvenirs. One player banished from the match with a red card recently tossed his shirt into the stands as he departed.

Before every match there is an awarding of a Sounders gold scarf for those who have enhanced Sounders tradition.

Final Thoughts

The Sounders have been one of the energizing and stabilizing elements of Major League soccer. The team's fan base continues to increase.

Meanwhile fans also enjoy the rich mix of MLS competition along with friendlies and other international competition.