Qwest Field Facts

Upon opening in 2002, the downtown Seattle stadium was called Seahawks Stadium. Two years later, the stadium was renamed Qwest Field when Qwest acquired naming rights. Qwest Field was the name of the stadium for seven years until a company merger between Qwest and CenturyLink occurred in April 2011. The stadium was officially renamed CenturyLink Field in June.

The Turner Construction Company was hired to build the new stadium in downtown Seattle. It broke ground on the stadium and adjacent exhibition center in April 2000. The 67,000-seat stadium opened two years later on July 28, 2002. There are 82 suites in the stadium, some of which are field-level. Roof protection covers 70 percent of the seats. Conveniences for fans and visitors include wide concourses, 11 public elevators, 48 concession areas, 63 wheelchair-accessible restrooms and 3,100 onsite parking spaces, with 8,400 spaces in surrounding lots.

CenturyLink field is home to the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and MLS' Seattle Sounders FC as of 2011. In addition, CenturyLink field is scheduled to become the home stadium of the Washington Huskies college football team from 2011 to 2013. Field dimensions for football games are 55.3 yards wide and 120 yards long. Field dimensions for soccer games are 70 yards wide and 110 yards long.

CenturyLink stadium was designed with multi-functionality in mind. In addition to serving different sports teams, CenturyLink field regularly hosts concerts, expos and trade and consumer shows. An additional 5,000 temporary seats can be set up inside the stadium when needed for sold-out events. Notable acts to have performed in the stadium include The Rolling Stones, Metallica and U2.