![]() ![]() 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. The stadium is a modern facility with views of the skyline of Downtown Seattle. ![]() The crowd at CenturyLink Field is notoriously loud during Seahawks games. The noise has contributed to the team's home field advantage with an increase in false start (movement by an offensive player prior to the play) penalties against visiting teams. The stadium was the first in the NFL to implement a FieldTurf artificial field. Numerous college and high school American football games have also been played at the stadium. Qwest Field was also designed for soccer the first sporting event held was a United Soccer Leagues (USL) Seattle Sounders match. The USL team began regularly using the stadium for home games in 2003. The local MLS expansion team, Seattle Sounders FC, began its inaugural season in 2009 at the stadium. CenturyLink Field was the site of the MLS Cup in 2009. The Seahawks played their home games at the Kingdome from their inaugural season between the 19 seasons. In 1995, a proposal was made to issue county bonds to fund a remodeling project of the facility. The proposal failed, and as a result, Seahawks' owner Ken Behring threatened to sell or move the team. In 1997, local billionaire Paul Allen pledged to acquire the team if a new stadium could be built and said that the team could not be profitable until they left the Kingdome. He asked the state legislature to hold a special statewide referendum on a proposal to finance a new stadium. With Allen agreeing to pay the $4 million cost, the legislature agreed. The vote was scheduled to be held in June 1997, but in May, a Seattle resident filed a lawsuit that claimed the legislature did not have authority to call for such a vote, since it would be paid for by a private party who could gain from the result. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |