Lumen Field

Did You Know?

• The stadium's crowd noise during a Seahawks game on January 8, 2011, caused shaking recorded by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, dubbed the 'Beast Quake'.
• The largest concert attendance was 77,286 for Ed Sheeran's The Mathematics Tour on August 26, 2023.
• The 14th Dalai Lama delivered a speech to 50,817 people at the stadium on April 12, 2008.

Construction and layout

The architectural firms Ellerbe Becket and LMN Architects designed the 1.5 million-square-foot project. Paul Allen, closely involved in the design, aimed to replicate the outdoor atmosphere of the University of Washington's Husky Stadium. Town meetings addressed public impact, and a $6 million mitigation fund was created for nearby neighborhoods. Contracts totaling $81 million went to minority- and women-owned businesses, and union apprentices made up 19% of the workforce. Construction of the exhibition center and parking garage began on September 28, 1998, after lease discussions delayed the original September 19 start. The exhibition center opened on October 30, 1999. The Kingdome was demolished on March 26, 2000, in the world's largest implosion of a single concrete structure, with much of the rubble recycled. Because the site was a former tidal marsh with soft soil, the complex rests on over 2,200 pilings driven 50 to 70 feet deep. The stadium was built in eight individually connected sections to address soil conditions, temperature effects, and earthquake risk; the exhibition center and parking garage are separate structures.

Surface

The 1997 referendum specified natural grass, but FieldTurf was not available at the time of the vote. After the Seahawks played on FieldTurf at Husky Stadium in 2000 and 2001, management reconsidered. Artificial turf was chosen for easier maintenance and because Seattle's frequent rain would have required a $1.8 million irrigation and heating system for natural grass. Coach Mike Holmgren supported the decision. Local soccer fans worried that artificial turf would hurt Seattle's MLS expansion chances, but First & Goal agreed to install grass for special events when needed. In 2002, Seahawks Stadium became the first NFL venue with FieldTurf. The surface was replaced in 2008 after tests showed compression increased injury risk; a poured rubber foundation was added. By 2010 the turf had degraded and failed FIFA's 2 Star test. A new FieldTurf surface in 2012 met the 2 Star requirement. Further replacements occurred in 2016 (FieldTurf Revolution 360), 2019, and 2024 (FieldTurf CORE system).

Football

Paul Allen and Bob Whitsitt hoped the new stadium would make the Seahawks a Super Bowl contender and attract the championship game, though the NFL rarely considers outdoor stadiums in cities with February average temperatures below 50°F. The Seahawks' first game at the venue was a preseason loss to the Indianapolis Colts on August 11, 2002; their first regular-season game was a loss to the Arizona Cardinals on September 15, 2002. From 2002 to 2005, the Seahawks won 24 of 32 regular-season home games, including two undefeated home seasons. Under Pete Carroll, the team was undefeated at home in 2012. Through 2018, the Seahawks had a 95–41 regular-season record at the stadium. Since the 2003 home opener, every game has sold out, with 146 consecutive sellouts through 2019. Season tickets were capped at 61,000 after the 2005 Super Bowl appearance, creating the first waiting list since the early 1990s. The largest crowd for a Seahawks game was 69,190 against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 20, 2016. The team's 30-year lease expires in 2032.

Soccer

Lumen Field meets FIFA sight line requirements and has separate locker rooms for soccer. Exhibition matches featuring clubs such as Manchester United, Barcelona, and Real Madrid have drawn large crowds; the first sellout of 66,772 was a match between Manchester United and Celtic. The stadium hosted the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B opening round and matches in the 2009 and 2013 Gold Cups. In 2016, it hosted three Copa América Centenario matches, including a quarterfinal between the United States and Ecuador attended by 47,322. The 2009 MLS Cup between Real Salt Lake and the Los Angeles Galaxy drew 46,011; Salt Lake won on penalties. The 2019 MLS Cup, with the Sounders hosting Toronto FC, set a stadium sporting-event record of 69,274 spectators, the second-highest MLS Cup attendance in league history.