The Seattle Seahawks share their NFL home with Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders. Both teams play on the turf of CenturyLink Field, just south of downtown Seattle. The venue took some getting used to for fans that had become accustomed to the Kingdome. That stadium was famous for it's environment, providing the stage from which Seattle's 12th Man legacy was born.
After a few years of adjustment, the new facility has won almost everyone over. CenturyLink is a fabulous venue and provides fans with a great experience. Here's some helpful information for fans interested in learning more.
Location, address - CenturyField Events Center, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, Washington, 98134.
Box office - the CenturyLink Field box office is opened Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.
Year opened - It became CenturyLink Field in 2004. Prior to that the stadium was called Qwest Field. The facility opened in 2002.
Seating capacity - There are 67,000 fixed seats and 5,000 can be added for special events for a total of 72,000 when desired. There are 1,400 seats for fans with disabilities.
Accessibility and disabled fan access - Service animals are permitted throughout the arena. Assisted listening devices are available as is closed captioning to mobile phones. Disabled seating is spread out through all price levels of the stadium. There are two elevators in each corner of CenturyLink Field and limited disabled parking is available in the North Lot. All of the restrooms are ADA compliant.
Parking - There is parking for 3,100 vehicles onsite, another 8,400 in surrounding lots, and 15,000 in downtown lots. That said, public transportation is still the best option.
Public transportation - The Link light rail system can bring fans in to the area. The regional Sounders train line provides service from Everett to the north and Tacoma to the south. Amtrak has a stop near the stadium and can be utilized by fans coming from the Portland, Oregon area in addition to other cities and towns throughout the Pacific Northwest. Metro Transit bus service offers shuttles from park and ride lots. An option fairly unique to the Seattle NFL experience involves coming in on a ferry. Washington State Ferries bring passengers in from the Puget Sound area and deposit them within walking distance of CenturyLink Field.
Shared venue - In addition to the Sounders Major League Soccer home games, CenturyLInk Field will play host to the Washington State Huskies for home games this season while Husky Stadium is under construction.
View and design - CenturyLink Field provides a city view that rivals anything out there. Downtown Seattle looms over the North End seating, offering television crews ample opportunity for incredible shots when there is no action on the field. The stadium design allows for fans to be just a few feet from the action at field level and with good sight lines higher up.
Eating options - There are plenty of options offering a wide variety of food for the hungry fan. Ivar's is a Seattle area institution with famous clam chowder and fish and chips and is open inside the arena. There are of course plenty of opportunities to get burgers, dogs, pizza, nachos, and the like. Bigfoot Hot Dogs up in section 303 puts together a great dog.
Alcoholic beverages - There are some very good beer options inside. Alcohol sales cut off at the beginning of the third quarter, so get your beer before that whistle blows. Vertical IDs are not acceptable, meaning if you were a minor who has turned 21, get that new license before trying to buy a beer at CenturyLink Field.
Taima the hawk - The name means "thunder" and was chosen by fans for the Auger hawk that flies out of the tunnel ahead of the players at each home Seattle game.
Sources: Seahawks.com, CenturyLink.com
Jeff Musall has been a fan of the Seattle Seahawks since the late 70s, when he was a young kid watching Jim Zorn lead the team down the field.
