SEATTLE, WASH. – Following record attendance success in its first seven seasons of MLS play, Seattle Sounders FC today announced that for the first time in club history the organization’s lower bowl season seat capacity at the XBOX Pitch at CenturyLink field is sold-out. Due to this fact, the Rave Green are launching the Sounders FC Priority List, enabling fans to secure season ticket purchase priority for future lower bowl openings. Additionally, the Priority List provides fans the ability to secure season seats in the best possible 300-level locations at CenturyLink Field. Since entering Major League Soccer in 2009, Sounders FC and its fan-base have set a new standard for soccer support in North America, culminating in the top six single-season attendance totals in league history and an active streak of 114 consecutive MLS sellouts, a league record.
“The launch of the Sounders FC Priority List is a testament to our incredible fans and the momentum, passion and energy that they’ve generated for the sport of soccer in our community,” said Sounders FC Owner Adrian Hanauer. “We are humbled by all that’s been accomplished since we launched the club in Major League Soccer in 2009, and we look forward to achieving new heights with our supporters. In the years to come, it’s my belief that Sounders FC and its fans can continue raising the bar for soccer support in North America, and selling out CenturyLink Field’s lower bowl and launching the Priority List is a major step toward that goal.”
The Sounders FC Priority List is now active, with fans able to learn more about this new initiative via SoundersFC.com. A non-refundable $100 deposit is required to secure each seat on the Priority List, giving fans access to season ticket purchase priority, immediate notifications regarding lower level single-match tickets and exclusive access to all Sounders FC on-sale opportunities – including partial season seat packages, group tickets, single-match tickets, CONCACAF Champions League matches and additional soccer events at CenturyLink Field.
Achieving arguably the most successful expansion franchise launch in North American professional sports history, Sounders FC set a then MLS average attendance record of 30,897 at CenturyLink Field in the club’s inaugural 2009 season. Attendance within the venue has grown since that first year alongside the club’s on-field achievements, resulting in average attendance marks of more than 43,000 fans per home match in each of the past three seasons. Sounders FC finished the 2014 campaign 27th in global average attendance amongst the world’s top-tier professional clubs (43,734), and second in the Americas in this same catergory.
To meet demand, the organization has increased its MLS capacity to 39,571 this season from 38,300 in 2014 by expanding seating opportunities to a select area of the 300 level on CenturyLink Field’s east side. Sounders FC extended its existing agreement with CenturyLink Field earlier this year, keeping the Rave Green in their current home through the 2028 Major League Soccer season.
“Since our 2009 inaugural season Sounders FC has grown on multiple fronts, but nowhere is this development more apparent than in the stands at CenturyLink Field,” said Sounders FC Chief Operating Officer Bart Wiley. “With 114 consecutive home sellouts and a sold-out lower bowl, Sounders FC fans are achieving major milestones that are unrivaled in North American soccer history. The Sounders FC Priority List gives our fans the opportunity to secure the best possible seats in our venue and to experience the most electric atmosphere in MLS.”
Since beginning MLS play inside CenturyLink Field, Sounders FC has become one of the league’s elite sides, capturing the 2014 Supporters’ Shield as last year’s top club in regular season play, in addition to four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014. Managed by Sigi Schmid – the winningest Head Coach in MLS history – Sounders FC has earned 356 points (102-57-50) since its inaugural 2009 campaign, the league’s second-highest total in that span. Sounders FC is currently first in Major League Soccer, with the club holding a 8-3-2 record thus far in 2015 (26 points) in the hunt for its second-consecutive Supporters’ Shield.
