On and off the pitch, Seattle Sounders FC is constantly growing as an organization.
The latest example of that arose last Thursday night, when the club held an event at its headquarters in Pioneer Square to unveil new jerseys and a new space, The NINETY. Situated on the ground floor of the Washington Shoe Building, the space is designed to serve a variety of purposes for the club and its supporters.
Construction of The NINETY occurred throughout the last few months, and the end product was a pleasant site to see for those in attendance Thursday. To new General Manager and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey, it was well worth the wait.
“Incredible. Really cool,” Lagerwey said of the space. “Incorporating different parts of everything, I can tell the thought and the care that has gone into this, just like most of the things associated with the Sounders organization. Really cool.”
Sounders FC is less than a year removed from moving its front office to Pioneer Square from the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton. Now the club can really plant its flag in the neighborhood by CenturyLink Field, the main reason for creating The NINETY.
The downtown location isn’t the only aspect that makes it a spectacular space, though.
This 3,700-square-foot cultural hub of soccer features a 25-foot custom trophy case that showcases the club’s history and 18-foot graphic paintings of “Seattle Sounders” on each wall. The element that stands out the most is a 2,000-pound, green and blue icicle chandelier that hangs above a 30-foot boardroom table. Seattle’s own Dale Chihuly sculpted the massive icicle.
Sounders midfielder Lamar Neagle was among the four players at Thursday’s grand opening. The Seattle-area native was astonished by the look of The NINETY.
“I think it’s probably one of the only organizations in MLS in which people believe it would be a successful thing to do,” Neagle said. “The location they got is amazing. …It’s a great opportunity for the organization to grow and to have a face in downtown Seattle.”
The organization’s aim is to use The NINETY as a gathering place for fans and as a way to further engage them with the club. The space will be open before every home match, and it is also available for anyone to rent on select weeknights and weekends.
When asked by media about the things his club can do with The NINETY, owner Adrian Hanauer couldn’t help but grin and start listing off endless types of events. Autograph sessions, radio shows and viewing parties for away games are just a few of those that came to his mind.
“There’s so many amazing things we can do with this space,” Hanauer said. “That’s really exciting to envision. …The team did an amazing job to come up with the vision."
The NINETY will be open this Saturday, March 14, starting at 4:30 p.m. ahead of the match against the San Jose Earthquakes, and is located at 406 Occidental Ave S. along the March to the Match route.
