Fast-paced, high-scoring, six-a-side indoor soccer returns to Puget Sound this fall. Beginning Aug. 4 at 10 a.m., season tickets go on sale to the inaugural season of Seattle Impact FC.
Impact FC will play all 10 home games in Kent’s ShoWare Center, beginning with a Nov. 8 date with the 14-time indoor champion San Diego Sockers. Seattle and San Diego are members of the 23-team Major Arena Soccer League (MASL), the indoor game’s top tier throughout North America. Impact FC became the MASL’s newest member on July 8, with Bellevue native and former Sounders and SeaDogs player Dion Earl as owner and CEO.
“Our plan is to form a skilled, competitive club and provide a high standard of excellence both on the field and off, from the outset,” said Earl. “The Sounders are celebrating 40 years of pro soccer in Seattle, and our community’s involvement in indoor soccer goes back 39 of those years. Like me, many fans will remember the intense, action-packed games the Sounders played during winters in the Kingdome, the Stars in the Tacoma Dome and the SeaDogs at KeyArena. And like the SeaDogs, we want to raise a championship banner at ShoWare Center.”
Jason Dunn, Impact FC head coach, was a member of that 1997 SeaDogs championship team. The Olympia, Wa., native played nine professional seasons, beginning with the Sounders where he was 1994 A-League Rookie of the Year. He made three appearances for the U.S. National Team. Dunn and Earl were teammates with the Sounders and Seattle Pacific University.
Tacoma attracted record crowds during the Stars’ heyday and thousands of youth and adults have played the 6-a-side indoor game at area arenas for the past 30 years. ShoWare capacity for Impact FC games will be 6,500.
“ShoWare Center is everything you could want for a quality indoor soccer experience,” Earl said. “It’s a state of the art arena, easily accessible from Seattle, Tacoma and the Eastside. Hockey fans generate a fantastic atmosphere for Thunderbirds games, and we know there’s an immense passion for soccer in this area. There are great sightlines and some of our seats are literally inches from the action. We believe ShoWare will become a destination for fans throughout the fall and winter.”
“Our Impact opener is going to be huge,” said Earl. “Besides all the excitement of opening night, the Sockers have won the league four of the last five years. There were some epic games between Tacoma and San Diego back in the Eighties, and we hope to begin making some history of our own beginning November 8th.”
Get Your Tickets: Impact FC season tickets are start at $127.50 ($102 for youths) for the 10-game package–a savings of 15 percent off the single game price. Fans may purchase season tickets by going to the club website: www.SeattleImpactFC.com.
In addition to the discount off single-game prices, Impact FC season ticket holders get the same great seats for all games, including playoffs; a commemorative inaugural season t-shirt; gain exclusive access to a preseason event with coaches and players; receive discounts in Impact FC merchandise.
Most games will be on weekend evenings. The complete 20-game MASL schedule, which runs from October to March, will be announced in September. Over 1,500 free parking spots are available within walking distance to ShoWare Center. There is also reserved parking near the Suites/Club entrance on the arena’s southwest corner.
Impact’s First Players: Earl and head coach Jason Dunn already have two players under contract for the 2014-15 season. Gordy Gurson was a three-time All-America forward at Chicago’s Robert Morris University, leading all NAIA players in scoring with 40 goals in 17 games last fall and leaving as the Eagles’ all-time scoring leader. Peter Sliwa starred as goalkeeper at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill. Sliwa previously played indoors for the Rockford (Ill.) Rampage and is Gurson’s teammate for Chicago’s storied AAC Eagles amateur side.
Following Seattle Impact FC: Fans can stay up to date on the latest activities and announcements for Impact FC by following on Twitter (@seattleimpactfc), Facebook (www.facebook.com/realseattleimpactfc) or online at www.SeattleImpactFC.com.
