Qwest Field - Seattle, Washington - Home of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks



Qwest Field is home to the NFL's Seattle Seahawks as well as Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC. It has also been host to an annual Washington State Cougars home game, as well as concerts by musicians such as P. Diddy, the Rolling Stones, and Metallica. There are also talks of the NCAA wishing to hold future soccer Final Four games at Qwest Field.

Breaking ground in April 2000 and opening in 2002, Qwest Field is owned by the Washington State Public Stadium Authority and is operated by First & Goal Inc. It is located right at the junction of I-5 and I-90, making it easily accessible to fans traveling by car. The naming rights of what was formerly known as "Seahawks Stadium'' were awarded to Qwest Communications International Inc. in an agreement made in June 2004. Qwest paid $75 million to keep the name for 15 years.

With a seating capacity of 67,000, the three-tiered venue offers an additional 5,000 seats for special events, and 1,400 seats for those with disabilities. Unique to Qwest Field is a roof covering 70% of the stands, providing the fans with extra protection from the sun and harsh weather. Qwest Field was designed with the idea of bringing fans closer to the game. Endzone seats are 40' away from the field, with fans in the sideline seats being only 52' from the action. The stadium also offers "Red Zone'' suites, field-level boxes that are the first of their kind. On-site parking is offered, with 3,100 spaces available. Alternative parking is available is surrounding lots, offering an additional 8,400 spaces. Due to a city ordinance, tailgating is not allowed at Qwest Field.

"Hawk Nest'' is a massive tower on the north side of the field with 3,000 seats available to fans with a scoreboard located at the top of the 13-story structure. On the west side of the field is a pro shop to meet all the needs of even the most die-hard Seahawks fan. Qwest Field is easily one of the loudest fields in the NFL. Seahawks fans have been responsible for the false start of many opposing plays due to the stadiums unique design, which pushes as much crowd noise onto the field as possible. In recognition of this, and to encourage fans to make as much noise as possible, the Seahawks have kept track of the number of false starts made by opposing teams.

In another act of fan appreciation, the Seahawks have posted a large flagpole in the south end zone which flies a blue flag with a number "12''. This represents the "12th man'', referring to the fans as a member of the team. In honor of this, the Seahawks have even gone as far as to retire the number 12 from their roster. The horseshoe shaped stadium's playing surface is FieldTurf. While easier to maintain than a natural grass field, this synthetic playing surface doesn't comply with FIFA regulations. In order to bring the field to code, First & Goal Inc. has agreed to pay for a natural grass field's installation in order to meet the FIFA standards.

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