Seattle is reaching back to its seafaring roots — and looking ahead to a lasting legacy for its soccer community — by creating a floating fan zone and soccer pitch for this summer’s World Cup.
Major League Soccer’s Sounders, the Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League and their partners announced the Seattle Soccer Celebration from a barge off Waterfront Park’s Pier 62 on Elliot Bay.
From June 11 to July 6, the space will host youth soccer events, watch parties on a giant video screen, cultural events, private parties and other activities. Fans can register for ticket information at the Seattle Soccer Celebration website.
“Being able to have this incredible canvas where the broadcasters can show our beautiful skyline and waterfront with the many, many people we believe that will be coming to Seattle, maybe for the first time, and enjoying what makes this community so special — all of those things kept driving us towards some activation on the waterfront. And the floating pitch, and the idea of how we do that became a natural,” said Hugh Weber, president of business operations for the two soccer teams.
The barge’s pitch is the symbolic 52nd mini-pitch built in Washington through a Rave Foundation initiative to bring access to soccer to communities across the state ahead of the World Cup.
Along with the city’s two professional soccer teams and the Rave Foundation, the Friends of Waterfront Park and presenting sponsor Levono were involved in the project.
Waterfront Park is serving as one of the city’s free official FIFA fan zones for the World Cup.
Much like when the World Cup came to the United States in 1994 and boosted soccer’s profile across the country, local organizers in Seattle have looked at creative ways to bring more lifelong fans to the sport through the tournament.
“We all talk about how it could create a lift for our sport, but what actually is the engagement strategy for us as teams? How do we get those folks that may not have considered soccer something that was exciting and different? How do we get them the day after the tournament leaves to be fans?” Weber said Wednesday. “So all of this is part of that initiative and effort to make sure that people have a personal connection and feel invited and welcome to our sport in our city.”
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