Seattle Sounders FC announced Tuesday the formation of their own USL PRO club for the 2015 season – with a twist.
The Sounders FC 2, or S2, will operate under the management of their parent club and also an unprecedented, fan-owned organization that will hold a 20-percent interest in the team. The club, Sounders owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer said, bridges the gap between the Sounders Academy and first team.
“We are proud to announce the formation of S2 and complete the player development program that starts with our Academy and ends with the Sounders FC first team,” Hanauer said. “The partnership with the Sounders Community Trust supports the club’s vision for a fan-involved sports organization that deeply values the input and perspective of its supporters.”
The first organization of its kind in MLS, the Sounders Community Trust is a charitable, fan and supporter-managed, non-profit organization that is being formed to assume a 20-percent interest of Sounders FC 2. The Trust will elect one representative to sit on the Second Team Executive Board with the purpose of both influencing and supporting the direction of Sounders FC through S2, as well as helping support access to soccer in the community.
The club also announced the appointment of Andrew Opatkiewicz as Sounders FC 2 general manager. Opatkiewicz has a decade of sports industry experience, with a targeted focus in professional soccer, including a background with Intersport, Stats LLC, Prozone Sports and former USL Premier Development League side Seattle Wolves FC.
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S2 will base their operations out of Starfire Sports in Tukwila, Wash., the same facility where the first team trains, and play USL PRO regular-season games at Starfire Stadium.
“I am excited for the 2015 season at Starfire. Sounders FC has a strong Academy and deep First Team roster, so the club will benefit from the additional competitive matches,” said Opatkiewicz. “Over time I think this move will prove very important to the development of world-class first-team players from the Puget Sound. We also have the opportunity to do something unique by working with the Sounders Community Trust to involve our community in the management of this team, and Emerald City Supporters and other supporters to create an authentic and exciting atmosphere on match day.”
