Stadium History

In 1996, Paul G. Allen obtained an option to purchase the Seattle Seahawks and launched a campaign to win public support for a new world-class football/soccer stadium and exhibition center. Six years later, the dream became reality as the Seahawks opened the 2002 preseason against the Indianapolis Colts in Seahawks Stadium, renamed Qwest Field on June 2, 2004. After seven seasons, the stadium was renamed CenturyLink Field on June 23, 2011, and later rebranded to Lumen Field on November 19, 2020.
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The Lumen Field stadium complex includes Lumen Field, Lumen Field Event Center and WAMU Theater. The stadium complex hosts a wide variety and volume of events each year, making it one of the busiest venues in the region. The NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC, and the NWSL's Seattle Reign FC call Lumen Field home. The stadium also hosts events such as consumer and tradeshows, corporate events, Monster Jam, Supercross, and full stadium concerts. In 2022, it was announced that Lumen Field would be a host venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lumen Field Funding

The $430 million facility is owned by the public and was funded by a private-public partnership. Private contributions totaled at least $130 million, while the public contributed up to $300 million through a lottery and a variety of taxes generated by events in the stadium/exhibition center.

A breakdown of the funding package:

$130 million private investment led by Paul G. Allen
$127 million from new, sports related lottery games, similar to the Mariners’ baseball-themed scratch games
$101 million in sales taxes collected in King County attributable to events in the stadium/event center
$1 million per year of in-kind advertising for the new lottery games will be provided by Paul G. Allen
$56 million from facility admission and parking taxes
$15 million from extending King County’s share of the existing hotel-motel tax
Paul G. Allen agreed to pay for any construction cost overruns
All excess stadium revenues will fund youth athletic facilities throughout Washington State in addition to a $10 million contribution from Paul G. Allen
$14 million of the public contribution will come from interest earned on the $50 million private contribution from Paul Allen
As an added measure, the debt on the Kingdome was retired, freeing property taxes for other purposes

Stadium Features & Upgrades

Lumen Field has continually made stadium improvements and upgrades over the last several years to enhance the fan experience. See the timeline of upgrades made since 2013 below.

2024

The Seattle Seahawks announced the latest Fanovation coming to Lumen Field – the T-Mobile Endzone and The 1976 Club. Formerly the Ring of Honor Lounge, the new T-Mobile Endzone is a 2,625 square-foot sports bar complete with a 11' x 60' Mitsubishi 1.9mm High-Definition LED wall behind the bar. Within the T-Mobile Endzone, fans will see The 1976 Club, an open-air semi-private loge box experience with four or six person seating options featuring heated, plush stadium seating and outstanding field views.
Upgraded LED boards in the south and north end zones
New stadium-wide audio system with 48 Sub-woofers to greatly enhance sound clarity
Continued updates to the stadium's private suites, signage, and wayfinding

2022

Lumen Field celebrated 20 years and launched a “Fanovation” campaign to upgrade and modernize various areas of the stadium. These improvements included:
Cityside Bars under the Hawks Nest featuring premium views of the playing field
North Video Boards that more than doubled the size of the previous boards
Four concession locations with Amazon Just Walk Out and Amazon One check-out free technology
Lumen Field was the first NFL stadium to deploy this innovation, getting fans back to the game faster

2020

In an effort to boost guest experience through faster lines and more efficient sales processes, Lumen Field transitioned to cashless operations for sales transactions at the stadium, the Lumen Field Event Center and WAMU Theater

2017

The Seahawks enhanced the food and beverage experience by adding even more local cuisines at the PNW Marketplace, Night Market, and the Elysian Bar

2016

The Seahawks added a high-definition LED board below the upper bowl, renovated the working press box and added four new Press Box suites

2015

The Seahawks constructed the Toyota Fan Deck, which adds 1,000 padded seats in two new seating sections in the south end summit level

2014

The Seahawks made significant enhancements to the wireless network at Lumen Field to provide fans with free open access to Wi-Fi. Super Bowl XLVIII Roman Numerals were installed in the Northwest corner of the stadium

2013

Capital improvements to the stadium included an expanded and re-designed retail store with an increased footprint from 3,000 to 7,400 square feet and 30 new mobile points-of-sale in addition to a new Beer Hall featuring 14 different selections. FGI installed 47 new digital menu boards and HD TVs to provide flexibility in pricing and menu

Lumen Field

The Lumen Field event complex, which includes Lumen Field, Lumen Field Event Center and WAMU Theater, has hosted upwards of 300 event days and 2.4 million attendees annually over the past several years.
FGI employs over 800 staff for Seahawks gamedays and over 400 staff for Sounders FC matches on average each season.
97% of the concrete from the Kingdome was processed and recycled (35% built into Lumen Field).

Field Size

Football: 55.3 yards wide, 120 yards long
Soccer: 70 yards wide, 110 yards long — meeting National Football League, Major League Soccer and World Cup Soccer field and sight-line requirements.

Seating

68,000 fixed seats
1,400 seats for people with disabilities and their companions – compared to 70 at the Kingdome
Roof protection for 70 percent of seats

Suites

127 suites on three different levels – Suite, Club and Red Zone
Prices ranging from $160,000-$400,000

‍Amenities

Many conveniences for fans and visitors, including:

12 elevators — compared to three at the Kingdome
63 restrooms — twice as many as the Kingdome
100% of urinals are retrofitted with low-flow fixtures, saving more 1.3 million gallons of water every year.
50 concession stands and 47 beer concessions –twice as many per person as the Kingdome
2,000 car garage
14 electric vehicle chargers – 12 in north lot and two in the garage
Events hosted in the Lumen Field Event Center have generated more than $5M for Common School Fund

Design/Construction‍

Design—Ellerbe Becket, in association with LMN Architects
General Contractor—Turner Construction Company

Stadium Artists

Bob Haozous
Cheryl Dos Remedios
James Lavadour
Juan Alonso
Peter Shelton
Susan Point
Glenn Rudolph
Ronson Bustillo
Claudia Fitch
Belize Brother
David Russo

Public Stadium Authority

The Washington State Public Stadium Authority (PSA) was created by Referendum 48, a ballot initiative passed by voters authorizing use of public funds to build a Stadium and Exhibition Center.

The PSA’s mission is to represent the public’s interest in owning Lumen Field & Event Center and overseeing First & Goal Inc.’s operation of the facility for the benefit of all Washington state citizens.

First and Goal Inc. is proud of the public-private partnership forged with the PSA. FGI continues to work closely with the PSA to ensure that the Stadium and Exhibition Center are an asset and symbol of pride to sports fans, event attendees, our residential and business neighbors and to all Washington state residents.

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