Qwest Field

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Qwest Field
nickname = Seahawks Stadium


location = 800 Occidental Avenue S.
Seattle, Washington 98134, USA
broke_ground = April 2000
opened = 2002
owner = [http://www.stadium.org/ Washington State Public Stadium Authority]
operator = [http://www.firstandgoal.com First & Goal Inc.]
surface = FieldTurf
construction_cost = $300 million
architect = Ellerbe Becket & First and Goal, Inc
former_names = Seahawks Stadium (2002–2004)
tenants = Seattle Seahawks (NFL) (2002–present)
Seattle Sounders (USL 1) (2002–2008)
Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) (2009–future)
seating_capacity = 67,000 (NFL) (expandable to 72,000 for special events)
24,500 (MLS) (expandable to 67,000 for special events)|

Qwest Field is a multipurpose stadium located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It serves as the home field for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, and Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC beginning in 2009. [cite web | first = Gregg | last = Bell | title = Seattle to get expansion MLS franchise for 2009 | publisher = Associated Press | work = USA Today | date = November 9, 2007 | url= http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2007-11-09-3226911324_x.htm | accessdate = 2008-01-07]

History

After spending more than two decades in the Kingdome, the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners wanted new venues to play. During the mid-nineties, Washington state voters approved bonds to build two new sports stadiums including Safeco Field.

The baseball stadium was built just south of the Kingdome and the Seahawks new facility was to be constructed on the same site as the Kingdome. In order for the new stadium to be built, the Kingdome had to be imploded. On March 26, 2000, to make way for the construction of the stadium, the Kingdome fell in the world's largest implosion of a single concrete structure. [cite web | title = Kingdome stadium is imploded on March 26, 2000. | publisher = HistoryLink.org | url = http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=2252 | accessdate = 2008-01-07]

While the new stadium was being constructed, the Seahawks moved to Husky Stadium, home of the Washington Huskies (NCAA). Construction began on the Qwest Field in early 2000. The Seahawks christened their new state of the art facility on September 15, 2002.

The stadium is configured in a horse shoe shape, with three tiers of 67,000 seats. The north end of the stadium is open, allowing superb views of the surrounding Seattle area. A 13-story tower with a scoreboard at the top and bleacher seats for up to 3,000 fans, known as the "Hawk Nest" is also located on the north side. Qwest Field is the first of its kind to have luxury suites on the field directly behind the north endzone to provide an in-your-face experience. The stadium has a total of 82 luxury suites and over 7,000 club seats. One of the most unique features of the stadium is the overhanging roof design and rainbow tri-chord trusses that rise 260 feet above the field. The roof covers 70 percent of the seats keeping many fans dry during inclement weather.

The exterior of the stadium consists of red brick, and brick-accented colored concrete, tan pre-cast concrete and white painted steel for the roofing supports; blending in with other surround facilities. Fans attending games at Qwest Field have some of the best views than at any other stadium in the NFL.

Naming Rights

The stadium was originally named Seahawks Stadium. The name Qwest Field was announced on June 2, 2004, [cite press release | title = Seahawks Stadium to be Named 'Qwest Field' | date = June 2, 2004 | publisher = Seattle Seahawks | url = http://www.seahawks.com/qwestfield/qwestfield.aspx?id=36120 | accessdate = 2008-01-07] after Qwest bought the naming rights for $75 million (for 15 years). [cite web | first = José Miguel | last = Romero | title = Qwest deal worth $75 million | publisher = The Seattle Times | date = June 4, 2004 | url= http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2001947169_hawk04.html | accessdate = 2008-01-07] Although some people began using the new name immediately, the official approval wasn't given until twenty-two days later (June 24) by the Washington State Public Stadium Authority. Seahawks owner Paul Allen funded $160 million of the stadium's $460 million cost out of his pocket, [cite web | title = Qwest Communications gets naming rights | publisher = ESPN.com | date = June 2, 2004 | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1814256 | accessdate = 2007-01-08] the remainder being paid by a funding package of user fees, sports lottery revenue, and taxes on related industries. Construction was authorized by a state-wide special election paid for by the Seahawks ownership. [ [http://www.secstate.wa.gov Washington State Office of the Secretary of State] ] It passed largely because every county on the more populous western side of the state approved the measure. The only county on the eastern side to support it was Benton County.

On October 17 2006 , The Rolling Stones held a concert at Qwest Field as part of their Bigger Bang tour.cite news |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/289099_stones18q.html |title=Stones fans get explosive Bigger Bang for the buck |author=Gene Stout |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=2006-10-18 |accessdate=2008-08-26]

The biggest crowd ever to attend a Seattle Seahawks football game was 68,331 on Monday, November 12, 2007 against the San Francisco 49ers. Fans experienced their first snow game in the history of Qwest Field on November 27, 2006 against the Green Bay Packers with the Seahawks winning 34–24 with Shaun Alexander rushing for 202 yards. The first playoff game in the history of Qwest Field was on January 8, 2005, when the St. Louis Rams beat the Seahawks team for the third time that season, 27–20.

A friendly soccer match was played at Qwest Field on May 31,2008 between Brazil and Canada national soccer teams. Brazil won the game, 3–2.

Features

Within Qwest Field, there is a Seahawks tribute to high school football of the State of Washington. A section of the Stadium entitled "The State of Football", features a large depiction of the State of Washington and holds replica football helmets from every high school football team in the State. Another tribute to the high school sport is hosting the annual Emerald City Kickoff Classic, a season opening series of games between some of the best teams in the state. The games also feature a meeting between one of the best teams in Washington and one of the best from another state

Home field Advantage

Qwest Field has earned a reputation as the loudest roofed stadium in the NFL. [ [http://www.seahawks.com/12Zone/12Zone.aspx?id=68058: Qwest Field: The Loudest Stadium in the NFL ] ] Allen had the architects design the structure of the stadium, especially the roof, to direct as much crowd noise as possible on the field. In addition, the north end zone seating, called the "Hawks Nest", was specifically designed for rowdy fans; the seating consists of metal bleachers which reflect sound, and fans often stomp to create even more. Seahawks fans already had a reputation for being among the most vociferous in the NFL; while they played in the Kingdome, opposing teams often practiced with rock music blaring at full blast to prepare for the often painfully high decibel levels typical of Seahawk games.

During the 2005 NFC Championship Game against the Carolina Panthers, the decibel level recorded by Fox Sports telecast producers reached 137 dB.

The University of Washington Seismology lab stated that on January 6, 2006 during the 2006 NFL Playoffs, the screaming and jumping around during the game at Qwest Field was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring 3.0 on the Richter Scale. [ [http://blogs.king5.com/seahawks/archives/2006/01/earthquake-at-q.html: Earthquake at Qwest Field ] ] The Seattle Seahawks won the Wild Card game over the Dallas Cowboys after Tony Romo botched and fumbled a game winning field goal snap near the end of the 4th quarter.

Allen was intimately involved in the stadium design. He rejected plans for a retractable roof and directed the architects to minimize the stadium footprint as much as possible to bring fans closer to the action. A special feature was added in 2003 after Allen hired star sports marketing executive Tod Leiweke as the Seahawks' new CEO. Leiweke, who had turned the Minnesota Wild into one of the hottest tickets in the NHL, notably had a large flagpole installed in the south end zone. Leiweke began a pregame tradition in which a local celebrity, often a former Seahawk, raised a large blue flag numbered "12" on this flagpole to the roars of the crowd. The "12" represents the fans as the "12th man"; the Seahawks had retired #12 in honor of their fans in the 1980s. The flag-raising is now a regular feature of network television coverage of Seahawks games.

False Start Record

Qwest Field gained national attention during the Seahawks' game versus the New York Giants on November 27, 2005. Largely because of the crowd noise, the Giants committed 11 false start penalties. [cite web | first = Scott M. | last = Johnson | title = The Sound Has Effects in Seattle | publisher = The Washington Post | date = January 10, 2006 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/09/AR2006010901651.html | accessdate = 2008-01-08] The following season before the Giants came back to Seattle for another regular season game, they filed a complaint with the NFL accusing Qwest Field was pumping in artificial noise in the PA system in order to distract visiting offense from running a play. [http://www.youwager.com/clubhouse/publish/article_267.shtml] No artificial noise was ever found. Crowd noise contributed to a league-high 24 false-start penalties in 2005 alone. [cite web | first = Chris | last = Colsto | title = Hasselbeck, Seahawks light up Giants 42-30 | publisher = USA Today | date = September 24, 2006 | url = http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/games/2006-09-24-seahawks-giants_x.htm?POE=SPOISVA | accessdate = 2008-01-07] Since 2005 the Seahawks have tracked the number of false start penalties and displays the total on the scoreboard to motivate the fans to make noise when the opposing offense is attempting to run a play. On January 5, 2008, during the NFC Wildcard Playoff game, the Washington Redskins committed 1 false start penalty to raise the total since 2005 to 69, [ [http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=seahawksgameday21&date=20071021&query=seahawks+false+start#loop Search Results | Seattle Times Newspaper ] ] most in the NFL.

WaMu Theater

The Qwest Field Events Center was built adjacent to the stadium and hosted exhibitions and conventions until 2006, when it was converted into the WaMu Theater.cite news |url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060912&slug=webqwest12 |title=New theater to open at Qwest Field Event Center |work=Seattle Times |author=Bob Young |date=2006-09-11 |accessdate=2008-08-26] It had previously been called "the worst venue in town," but has since hosted numerous acts, including country singer Dolly Parton,cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2008102482_zmus10dolly.html |title=Dolly does it again — wows WaMu crowd |author=Misha Berson |work=The Seattle Times |date=2008-08-09 |accessdate=2008-08-26] Cyndi Lauper,cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2008029524_zmus02cyndi.html |title=Gay-pride theme carries over in Lauper and pals' True Colors show |author=Joanna Horowitz |work=The Seattle Times |date=2008-07-02 |accessdate=2008-08-26] Governor Gregoire and Michelle Obama.cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008058624_obama18m.html |title=Michelle Obama brings change message to Seattle fundraiser |author=David Postman |coauthors=Emily Heffter |work=The Seattle Times |date=2008-07-18 |accessdate=2008-08-26] Since Washington Mutual is no longer a bank after being seized by the Office of Thrift Supervision and FDIC and sold to JP Morgan Chase, it is currently unknown as to the fate of the name WaMu Theater. [http://www.ticketnews.com/WaMu-Theaters-name-likely-to-change-due-to-financial-crisis09830711 WaMu Theaters name likely to change due to financial crisis]

urface

The field surface at Qwest Field was originally planned to be natural grass. The success of the new FieldTurf at Husky Stadium in 2000 and 2001 caused the Seahawks management to reconsider and install it at the new stadium in 2002. The original FieldTurf lasted six seasons, replaced in March 2008.

tadium contracts

Qwest Field is one of the few professional sports stadiums in the United States that does not have a beverage contract with Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Jones Soda is currently the official drink of Qwest Field and is served at the concession stands. [cite web | first = Craig | last = Harris | title = Jones Soda lands soft drink rights at Qwest Field | publisher = The Seattle Post-Intelligencer | date = May 23, 2007 | url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/316867_jonessoda23ww.html | accessdate = 2008-01-08]

College football

The stadium has hosted a Washington State Cougars "home game" each year since its opening in 2002, including the 2003 "Battle of the Palouse" against the Idaho Vandals. The Cougars have won all but two of these games, losing to Colorado in 2004 and Oklahoma State in 2008. [ [http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/pac10/washington_state/yearly_results.php?year=2000 Washington State Game by Game Results ] ] The hometown Washington Huskies played an "away" game in the stadium in 2005, falling to the Air Force Falcons in Tyrone Willingham's first game as the head coach. [cite web | first = Ted | last = Miller | title = What you see is what you get with Willingham | publisher = ESPN.com | date = August 26, 2005 | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview05/news/story?id=2140417 | accessdate = 2008-01-07]

The NCAA Division II football teams of Western Washington Vikings and Central Washington Wildcats meet each year at Qwest Field in an intense rivalry game called "The Battle in Seattle."

Also, the Washington Huskies will likely play at Qwest Field if and when Husky Stadium is upgraded; no timetable for its renovation has been set. The Seahawks played two seasons at Husky Stadium (2000-01) while Qwest Field was built.

Gallery

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.qwestfield.com/ Qwest Field home page]
* [http://www.seahawks.com/stadium.aspx Qwest Field page at Seattle Seahawks site]

sequence
list = Home of the
Seattle Seahawks
2002–present
prev = Husky Stadium
2000–2001
next = current