Lumen Field
Multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, USA
Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), and Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Originally called Seahawks Stadium, it was renamed Qwest Field in June 2004 when telecommunications carrier Qwest acquired the naming rights. The stadium became known as CenturyLink Field following Qwest's June 2011 acquisition by CenturyLink and was nicknamed "The Clink" as a result;[4] it received its current name in November 2020 with CenturyLink's rebrand to Lumen Technologies.[5] It is a modern facility with views of the Downtown Seattle skyline and a seating capacity of 68,740 spectators for NFL games and 37,722 for most MLS matches. The complex also includes the Event Center which is home to the Washington Music Theater (WaMu Theater), a parking garage, and a public plaza. The venue hosts concerts, trade shows, and consumer shows along with sporting events. Located within a mile (1.6 km) of Downtown Seattle, the stadium is accessible by multiple freeways and forms of mass transit.
Former names | Seahawks Stadium (2002–2004) Qwest Field (2004–2011) CenturyLink Field (2011–2020) |
---|---|
Address | 800 Occidental Avenue South |
Location | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
Coordinates | 47°35′43″N 122°19′54″W / 47.5952°N 122.3316°W / 47.5952; -122.3316 |
Public transit | Stadium or International District/Chinatown King Street Station |
Parking |
|
Owner | Washington State Public Stadium Authority |
Operator | First & Goal Inc. |
Executive suites | 111 |
Capacity | 68,740 (NFL) Expandable to 72,000 (for special events) 37,722 (MLS / XFL) Expandable to 68,740 (for special events) 10,000 (NWSL) |
Record attendance | Concert: 77,286 (Ed Sheeran, August 26, 2023) Soccer: 69,274 (Seattle Sounders FC vs. Toronto FC, November 10, 2019) |
Field size | American football: 120 yd × 53.3 yd (109.7 m × 48.8 m) Soccer: 116 yd × 75 yd (106.07 m × 68.58 m) |
Surface | FieldTurf Revolution 360 |
Scoreboard | 84 ft × 24 ft (26 m × 7.3 m) 44 ft × 50 ft (13 m × 15 m) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | September 28, 1998 (complex) |
Opened | July 28, 2002 (2002-07-28) |
Construction cost | $430 million (entire complex) ($728 million in 2023 dollars[1]) |
Architect | Ellerbe Becket[2] LMN Architects[2] Streeter & Associates[3] |
Structural engineer | Magnusson Klemencic Associates |
Services engineer | McKinstry/Cochran[2] |
General contractor | Turner Construction Company[2] |
Tenants | |
| |
Website | |
lumenfield.com |
The stadium was built between 2000 and 2002 on the site of the Kingdome after voters approved funding for the construction in a statewide election held in June 1997. This vote created the Washington State Public Stadium Authority to oversee public ownership of the venue. The owner of the Seahawks, Paul Allen, formed First & Goal Inc. to develop and operate the new facilities. Allen was closely involved in the design process and emphasized the importance of an open-air venue with an intimate atmosphere.
Seahawks fans at Lumen Field have twice claimed the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium, first at 136.6 decibels in 2013, followed by a measurement of 137.6 decibels in 2014. The crowd's notorious noise has also contributed to the team's home field advantage with an increase in false start (movement by an offensive player prior to the play) and delay of game (failure of the offense to snap the ball prior to the play clock expiring) penalties against visiting teams.[6] The stadium was the first in the NFL to install a FieldTurf artificial surface. Numerous college and high school football games have also been played at the stadium, including the 2011 and 2024 Apple Cups and all Washington Huskies home games during the renovation of Husky Stadium in 2012. The XFL's Seattle Dragons began playing at Lumen Field in 2020 and returned in 2023 as the Sea Dragons.
Lumen Field is also designed for soccer. The first sporting event held included a United Soccer Leagues (USL) Seattle Sounders match. The USL team began using the stadium regularly for home games in 2003. The MLS expansion team, Seattle Sounders FC, began its inaugural season in 2009 at the stadium. Lumen Field was the site of the MLS Cup in 2009 and 2019; the latter set a new attendance record for the stadium with 69,274 spectators. The venue also hosted the 2010 and 2011 tournament finals for the U.S. Open Cup as well as the second leg of the 2022 tournament final for the CONCACAF Champions League; the Sounders won all three finals, with new tournament attendance records set for each final (or leg) hosted at Lumen Field. The stadium hosted several CONCACAF Gold Cup matches across multiple editions, and the Copa América Centenario in 2016. It will also host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was awarded to the United States, Canada, and Mexico.[7]
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- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Ellerbe Becket". January 23, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
- ^ "Welcome, Seahawks Stadium". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. June 27, 2002. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ "A New Chapter in the Legacy of Sports in Seattle Begins". Seattle Seahawks. June 23, 2011. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ^ Condotta, Bob (November 19, 2020). "CenturyLink Field, home of the Seahawks and Sounders, to be renamed Lumen Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ Branch, John (September 9, 2004). "For N.F.L., Crowd Noise Is a Headache". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
- ^ Evans, Jayda (November 1, 2021). "There are a lot of factors in considering Seattle as a 2026 men's World Cup city. The biggest might just be the surface of Lumen Field". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
Where can I visit?
Lumen Field
Multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, U.S.
T-Mobile Park
Baseball stadium in Seattle, Washington
Harbor Island, Seattle
Artificial island in Washington, US
Kingdome
Former multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Seattle Public Schools
Public school system of Seattle, Washington. U.S.
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Neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States
Industrial District, Seattle
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Park in Seattle, Washington, U.S.
West Seattle Bridge
Bridge in Seattle, Washington
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