September 20th, 2017
Partnership makes SeatGeek Seattle’s official primary and resale ticketing platform starting in 2018; New offerings to focus on ease of use and creating an improved fan experience
SEATTLE, WASH. – Sounders FC today announced that the club has partnered with SeatGeek to make the company the club’s official ticketing partner beginning in 2018. SeatGeek replaces Ticketmaster as Seattle’s official primary and resale ticketing platform, on the heels of last summer’s announcement that made SeatGeek the Official Ticketing Partner of Major League Soccer.
The SeatGeek platform promises to bring a host of new features to the Sounders FC ticketing experience, all designed to provide an easier, more concise way for Rave Green fans to access and manage their tickets. SeatGeek Open, the company’s primary ticketing platform, introduces a radically different approach from that of industry incumbents. Built on the open architecture and principles of cutting-edge technology businesses, the SeatGeek platform allows Sounders FC to not only sell match tickets on SoundersFC.com or through SeatGeek, but also via any site or app of the club’s choosing. This functionality – a characteristic historically uncommon in the ticketing space – gives Sounders FC fans the opportunity to buy tickets direct from the club in any number of places across the web or social media.
“From day one, we have been a fan-first organization, constantly seeking to improve our Season Ticket Members’ experience with every aspect of our club,” said Sounders FC Chief Operating Officer Bart Wiley. “We made this decision with our fans in mind. Partnering with SeatGeek as our new official ticketing platform provides our Season Ticket Members with a more tech-centric, simpler and cleaner way to manage their tickets. It also offers our club new ways to engage the marketplace. We believe our fans will be impressed with the efficiency and feel of the new system.”
Additionally, SeatGeek brings a range of unique features to Sounders FC that make it easier for the club’s supporters to access and manage their match tickets. The company’s best-in-class mobile experience simplifies the process for buying and selling tickets from a smartphone in just a few taps, while also improving ease for mobile stadium entry and allowing fans to easily transfer tickets to friends via a text or through the SeatGeek app.
“We’re thrilled to be working with one of the most exciting teams in all of professional sports,” said SeatGeek co-founder Russ D’Souza. “We’re confident the SeatGeek platform will give Seattle supporters easy access to matches and help the club reach an even wider audience. It’s going to enhance an already top-notch fan experience.”
As one of Major League Soccer’s leading clubs – having recorded an active league-record of 160 consecutive sellouts and leading MLS in average attendance each year from 2009-2016 – Sounders FC is well known for its passionate and faithful fan-base. The new partnership with SeatGeek offers fans access to a wide breadth of inventory as the number one destination for Sounders FC tickets. Fans can expect the best selection of seating options at various price points, even at the season’s most competitive matches.
About SeatGeek
SeatGeek is the leading mobile-focused ticket platform that enables fans to buy and sell tickets for sports, concert, and theater events. With industry-leading mobile ticketing apps, a fan-friendly user experience and its proprietary Deal Score™ technology that helps fans identify the best ticket values on offer for a given event, SeatGeek is transforming the way that fans buy and sell tickets to their favorite events. SeatGeek is also the Official Ticketing Partner of Major League Soccer, working closely with the league to develop and introduce a new integrated ticketing platform for member clubs.
About Sounders FC
Winner of the 2016 MLS Cup, 2014 MLS Supporters' Shield and four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014), Sounders FC is Seattle's Major League Soccer franchise. With an ownership group led by Seattle-based entrepreneur Adrian Hanauer, Hollywood executive Joe Roth, Seattle Seahawks Chairman Paul G. Allen and entertainer Drew Carey, the club received an MLS charter on November 13, 2007 and has qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in every year of its existence. In 2016, Sounders FC reached a milestone as the franchise claimed its first MLS Cup championship with a road victory over Toronto FC. Since the club's debut MLS season in 2009, Sounders FC has set the standard for soccer support in North America by leading the league in attendance each year. Prior to joining MLS, the Seattle Sounders organization has been a part of the greater Seattle community and U.S. Soccer professional scene since 1974.