Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday unveiled plans to construct a new club headquarters that’d open in 2024 as the club’s 50th anniversary nears.
Based in Renton, Washington, the world-class sporting facility would provide a new home for Major League Soccer’s winningest team over the past decade, housing the club’s entire soccer and business ecosystem for the first time in Sounders FC history.
Known as the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, the facility will include four full-size training pitches (two grass, two turf) and 50,000 square feet of space for both the club’s soccer operations and front office personnel. It would house the first team, second team and academy.
The project is being pursued in concert with Seattle-based Unico Properties and the City of Renton. It’ll transform the site of Boeing’s former corporate headquarters.
“Today is one of the most important moments in our club’s history, as we begin this new partnership with Unico Properties and take our first steps into the future of Seattle Sounders FC,” majority owner Adrian Hanauer said in a release. “Our organization has invested a great deal of time and thoughtfulness into the process of both selecting the ideal site for a new home and reimagining what that home represents, for our team and the greater community.
“With Longacres, we’ve found a location brimming with Pacific Northwest history where the Sounders – a team that brings its own deep roots, growing since 1974 – can plant our flag and create a home for our next 50 years. We’re excited to work with terrific partners in Unico and the City of Renton as this project comes to life, and our club fully embraces the stewardship of managing an important historical site like Longacres.”
Since joining MLS in 2009 as an expansion team, Seattle have trained at Starfire Sports in Tukwila, Washington.
Should Seattle be selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the new Sounders FC Center at Longacres would be available as a resource for the globe’s largest sporting event, both as a training site and other needs.
In Wednesday's release, the Sounders also noted fan outreach is taking place to explore the club’s brand identity with the next 50 years in mind.
