Virginia Mason Athletic Center
Seattle Seahawks headquarters and practice facility on Lake Washington.
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The Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) serves as both the headquarters and practice facility for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. It is located in Renton, Washington, a suburb southeast of Seattle, on a privately funded 19-acre industrial site along the southeastern shore of Lake Washington. The facility opened in the summer of 2008, replacing the team’s previous headquarters in Kirkland.
The property is bordered by Interstate 405 to the east, Lake Washington to the west, residential areas to the north, and open land to the south. Its southern edge lies roughly a quarter-mile north of NE 44th Street. The Eastside Rail Corridor trail runs adjacent to the facility, connecting it to north Renton and Factoria in Bellevue. The Seahawks hold mini-camps and training camp here, and starting with the 2009 season, training camp has been open to the public.
Before the VMAC was built, the site housed a coal tar refinery and creosote plant. Seahawks owner Paul Allen purchased the land in 2000 through his company Vulcan Real Estate, with approval from the City of Renton and the Washington State Department of Ecology. As part of the construction agreement, the site’s environmental conditions and wetlands were restored and redeveloped.
The team’s history with training facilities stretches back decades. During their first ten seasons (1976–85), the Seahawks were based in Kirkland at the southern end of the Lake Washington Shipyard (now Carillon Point), with summer training camps held at Eastern Washington University in Cheney. A new Kirkland headquarters opened before the 1986 season, and the team held training camp there for the next eleven years, with players staying in dormitories at adjacent Northwest College. From 1997 through 2006, training camp returned to Cheney, then moved back to Kirkland in 2007 due to a canceled China Bowl game. On May 9, 2006, the Seahawks announced plans for a state-of-the-art waterfront facility in Renton. The 200,000-square-foot building, the second-largest in the NFL, opened in summer 2008.
The VMAC has also hosted several international soccer teams visiting Seattle for exhibition matches, primarily against the Seattle Sounders FC. During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the facility was designated as the training site for Italian club Inter Milan.
Quick Facts
- Nickname
- VMAC, "V-Mac"
- Location
- 12 Seahawks Way / Renton, Washington, U.S.
- Built
- 2007
- Opened
- Summer 2008; / 2008
- Owner
- Vulcan Real Estate
- Cost
- $60 million / ($ in USUS)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The site was formerly a coal tar refinery and creosote plant. Seahawks owner Paul Allen purchased the land in 2000 through his company Vulcan Real Estate, with approval from the City of Renton and the state Department of Ecology. An agreement was created to restore the environmental climate of the site and its wetlands by improving and redeveloping the site.
The VMAC features four practice fields, three outdoors on natural grass and one indoors on FieldTurf. The indoor field has a clear height of 95 feet to allow kicking and punting. A large berm beside the outdoor fields allows fans to watch training camp. The building includes an auditorium, locker room, lounge, training room, weight room, team meeting rooms, media production studios, coaching and football personnel offices, a draft room, cafeteria, and administrative offices.
The facility has hosted several international soccer teams visiting Seattle for exhibition matches, primarily against Seattle Sounders FC. During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the VMAC was designated as the training facility for Italian club Inter Milan, with the football fields temporarily replaced with grass soccer pitches.
Reader's Guide
The Virginia Mason Athletic Center represents a significant investment in the Seattle Seahawks' infrastructure, consolidating the team's operations in a state-of-the-art waterfront facility. Its construction involved environmental remediation of a former industrial site, reflecting a commitment to redeveloping contaminated land. The VMAC's opening in 2008 ended the team's use of training camps at Eastern Washington University in Cheney and the previous Kirkland headquarters. The facility's size—second-largest in the NFL—and its indoor field with ample clearance for kicking underscore its role as a year-round training hub. The naming partnership with Virginia Mason Medical Center further integrated medical and athletic resources. The VMAC's use by international soccer teams, including Inter Milan during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, demonstrates its versatility beyond American football. The public training camp access, initiated in 2009, and the berm for fan viewing connect the team with its community. The facility's location adjacent to the Eastside Rail Corridor trail and its dock for boat access highlight its integration into the local transportation and recreational landscape.
Did You Know?
- The site was formerly a coal tar refinery and creosote plant before being purchased by Paul Allen in 2000.
- The indoor practice field has a clear height of 95 feet to allow both kicking and punting.
- The facility's on-site parking lot holds 275 vehicles, and a dock was constructed to accommodate boats of team personnel.
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