The Sounders FC Center at Longacres is a training facility and headquarters in Renton, Washington, and it has moved from plan to reality, officially opening on February 13, 2024, on the club’s 50th anniversary. The roughly $68 million renovation of the former Boeing headquarters was delivered by Venture General Contracting.

Sounders FC Center at Longacres Anchors a Growing Campus Vision

The complex now houses the first team, Tacoma Defiance and Academy under one roof, with four full size pitches and about 50,000 square feet of renovated interior space. Club leaders describe it as the first phase of a wider campus. The training base contrasts with match day plays elsewhere, such as the proposed $620 million Audi Field expansion in Washington that seeks public funding.

Project Overview

• Project Name: Sounders FC Center at Longacres, now branded the Providence Swedish Performance Center and Clubhouse
• Location: Renton, King County, Washington, on the former Boeing Commercial Airplanes headquarters site
• Project Value: About $68 million for the renovation, per Sounders FC
• Client and Owner: Seattle Sounders FC, led by majority owner Adrian Hanauer, in partnership with Unico Properties
• Main Contractor: Venture General Contracting
• Designer: Generator Studio
• Key Components: Four full size training pitches, two grass and two turf, plus about 50,000 square feet of clubhouse, gym, recovery and office space
• Construction Start: May 2023 groundbreaking
• Opening: February 13, 2024
• Strategic Impact: First time the club’s soccer and business operations sit on one campus, positioned as a potential 2026 World Cup team base

Project Team

• Client and Owner: Seattle Sounders FC
• Development Partner: Unico Properties
• Main Contractor: Venture General Contracting
• Designer: Generator Studio
• Host City: City of Renton

Reported 2nd March 2022: Plans were unveiled recently for the construction of “Sounders FC Center at Longacres” in South Renton, a city in King County, Washington, and an inner-ring suburb of Seattle.  Developed by Washington-based Seattle Sounders, the New Sounders FC Center will be built at the site of the former Boeing Commercial Airplanes headquarters that is in close proximity to the club’s current facility at the Starfire Sports Complex in Longacres.

The project involves the construction of four full-size training pitches, two of which will be natural grass and the other two made of artificial turf. In addition, a 50,000 square-foot space will be provided for both the club’s front office personnel and soccer operations, along with a clubhouse, a gym, and space for technical staff.

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Upon completion, in time for the 2024 season, the Sounders FC Center at Longacres will house the club’s new headquarters and its entire soccer and business ecosystem. This facility could increase Seattle’s chances of hosting games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Sounders FC Center at Longacres project team 

The majority owner, Adrian Hanauer, and the Sounders ownership group formed a partnership with Unico Properties to transform over 40,000 square feet of the former Boeing HQ, which will be used as part of the new Sounders FC Center at Longacres project.

Renovations and designs of the property will be handled by the Kansas-based Generator Studio, who recently oversaw the development of Seattle Kraken’s Community Iceplex in Northgate.

Adrian Hanauer mentioned that the partnership with Unico Properties is a key factor, as the club takes its first step towards the development of the new Sounders FC Center. Hanauer also stated that their organization has invested a great deal of time and thoughtfulness into the process of selecting an ideal site, which would become a new home for the team and the greater community.

He pointed out that the Longacres location was brimming with Pacific Northwest history, which makes it a  great place for the Sounders team to plant their flag and create a home for the next 50 years.