Seattle Sounders FC - last updated on 9 January 2009
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Seattle Sounders Football Club
Foundation: 2007
City: Seattle, Washington
Colours: Green, blue and white
Website: www.soundersfc.com
Honours:
Seattle Sounders FC has currently no honours.
A bit of history:
Seattle Sounders FC will begin play in the 2009 season and will be the league's 15th team. The city of Seattle was awarded an expansion team on November 13, 2007. The announcement provided a continuation to a long standing soccer tradition in Seattle that has included the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1983 and the Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division since 1994.
Team ownership revealed the first Sounders jersey on May 28 along with announcing Microsoft and Xbox 360 as the team's sponsor worth $20 million over 5 years. As part of the agreement, the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live brands will be featured prominently on the front of the jersey.
Seattle Sounders FC was announced as the team name on April 7, 2008, along with the team logo, colors and badge design in a presentation held at the Space Needle. The badge design, loosely resembling a heraldic shield, consists of two layers representing the partnership between the ownership, the community, the players, and the fans. The logo incorporates the Space Needle, a universally recognized Seattle landmark. The official team colors are Sounder Blue, representing the waters of the Puget Sound; Rave Green, representing the forests of the Pacific Northwest; and Cascade Shale, representing the Cascade Range to the east of Seattle.
Fans were able to choose a new name for the team in an online poll held between March 27, 2008 and March 31. When the possible names to be selected from where initially announced, only three names were to be included on the poll: Seattle FC, Seattle Republic and Seattle Alliance, with the Seattle Sounders name being left off to provide a "fresh start." Despite the names having been selected by fan focus groups, internal committees, and fan suggestions, the lack of an option to continue the Seattle Sounders moniker was an unpopular decision. In response to the reaction by the fans, the team added a fourth "write in" option for the team name, leaving the door open to any suggestion. During the voting period, MLS Commissioner Don Garber acknowledged the Sounders name is a popular fan favorite which initiated the addition of the write-in vote.
Of the 14,500 votes received for the new team name, 49% of the votes were a derivative of the name Sounders. Upon announcing the name, Hanauer acknowledged the significance of keeping with tradition: “The team playing at the highest level in our region has always been called Sounders. Starting with the NASL and then the USL 1st Division, we now have the chance to create a separate and distinct identity with the new MLS team.”
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Seattle Sounders FC -
Since 2007
