From ferries and fishing boats to football fans and floating pitches, Seattle is embracing its maritime identity for this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
The Pacific Northwest city plans to create a floating fan zone and football pitch along its waterfront, blending the tournament buzz with Seattle’s seafaring heritage while aiming to leave a long-term legacy for local communities and grassroots sport.
The city’s two professional teams – Major League Soccer’s Sounders and 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 11 June to 6 July, the space will host youth football events, watch parties on a giant video screen, cultural events, private parties and other activities.
Hugh Weber, president of business operations for the two teams, said: “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.”
The barge’s pitch is the symbolic 52nd mini-pitch built in Washington through a Rave Foundation initiative to bring access to football to communities across the state ahead of the World Cup.
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 US in 1994 and boosted football’s profile across the country, local organisers 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?” Weber added.
“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? 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.”
Taking place across the US, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July, this summer’s men’s World Cup will be the largest in history, featuring a record 48 nations and 104 matches.
Seattle is one of 16 host cities and will stage six games at the 69,000-capacity Lumen Field. The stadium will host four group-stage matches, one Round of 32 fixture and one Round of 16 tie.
