SEATTLE — As the City of Seattle continues to celebrate Pride Month, Sounders FC announces the special matchday elements in store for its third annual Pride Day, presented by Starbucks, as the team hosts Orlando City SC on Wednesday, June 21 in a 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff on the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field.
At 5:00 p.m. PT, kicking off the March to the Match activities in Occidental Park, matchday host Ken Carson is scheduled to introduce Vicci Martinez, who is putting on a special live performance. In addition to performing live at March to the Match, Martinez, a Tacoma native who finished third on the national singing competition The Voice in 2011, returns to the Xbox Pitch at CenturyLink Field to sing the national anthem after debuting at last year's Pride Day.
Carson's pre-match show at the March to the Match also includes unique Pride-themed giveaways. Fans in attendance have the opportunity to win an autographed Clint Dempsey authentic U.S. Men's National Team Pride jersey - a limited-edition shirt with rainbow numbers modeled after the kits worn by the USMNT and USWNT during friendlies earlier this month.
Fans who stop by The NINETY between 5:00 p.m. PT and kickoff can enjoy free Rainbow "Gaybie" Babycakes from Cupcake Royale, courtesy of nonprofit Athlete Ally. Then, beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT when Soccer Celebration opens, fans should plan to stop by the Athlete Ally booth to learn about the national nonprofit's mission of fostering equality and to pick up a Pride Passport.
The Passport card is stamped to show attendance at Sounders FC's Pride match and can then subsequently be stamped at the Athlete Ally booths at any of the remaining three Seattle sports Pride games during the week: Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers on Thursday evening, Seattle Storm vs. Phoenix Mercury on Friday evening and Reign FC vs. FC Kansas City on Saturday evening. Fans collecting two or more stamps on their Pride Passports can return the passport card at Athlete Ally's booth to be entered to win one of three prize packs, each containing items from all five of Seattle's professional sports teams - Mariners, Reign FC, Seahawks, Sounders FC and Storm - in the form of tickets and autographed memorabilia.
The Pride Passport program comes as part of the recently announced cooperative endeavor between all five of Seattle's professional sports teams to show their continued support for LGBT equality.
Starbucks and Sounders FC partner together to celebrate Pride with a special matchday giveaway. The first 10,000 fans through the gates can collect a co-branded Pride-themed captain's armband and show their support by outfitting themselves like their favorite Sounders leaders.
The match's game presentation is set to feature Pride flags, team Pride logo banners and includes on-field volunteers from the Starbucks Pride Alliance Network and the Greater Seattle Business Alliance. Sounders FC is donating a portion of proceeds from a special ticket offer to benefit the GSBA Scholarship Fund, with the club further contributing an additional $7,000. An on-pitch check presentation to two GSBA Scholars is scheduled for halftime.
Additionally, both Seattle and Orlando have planned a joint effort to show commitment to equality and unity through sport as both teams wear Pride-themed scarves for team walkouts, Pride captain armbands and come together for a joint team photo prior to kickoff.
Sounders FC is also recognizing a special group of youth soccer players at the evening's match, as the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships comes to Seattle. The best youth soccer players from 14 Western states are competing in the tournament and will be recognized on the stadium videoboards.
In addition to the host of Pride events, Wednesday's match signals the kickoff of the 2017 GeekWire Sports Tech Summit, a unique event that highlights the intersection of sports and technology by connecting guests with leading thinkers in data science, sports marketing, virtual reality, eSports, wearable and other industries. On June 21, summit participants can attend a pre-party at CenturyLink Field and mingle with each other before watching the match.
On Thursday, June 22, the conference portion of the event begins, providing guests with both unparalleled access to some of the top minds in sports tech, as well as invaluable networking opportunities in a completely unique environment. This year's panel of speakers includes notable names such as NFL COO Tod Leiweke, League of Legends co-founder and co-managing owner of Los Angeles FC Brandon Beck, SeatGeek co-founder Russ D'Souza, NFL reporter John Clayton, LA Dodgers CFO Tucker Kain, Bleacher Report CEO Dave Finocchio and many more. Sounders FC High Performance Director Dave Tenney is also scheduled as a guest speaker, focusing on the club's use of technology and sports analytics to gain a competitive edge.
Those interested in attending the event can still register via GeekWire.com, with a limited number of tickets still available.
Media interested in attending the 2017 GeekWire Sports Tech Summit to cover the event should contact John Cook directly [John@GeekWire.com / 206-913-7926].
GeekWire attracts thousands of people to its events and more than two million page-views per month to its site - one of the largest and most influential tech news operations of its kind. GeekWire launched its sports tech channel in early 2015, with more than 1,000 articles published covering tech innovations transforming sport.
Fans and media attending Wednesday's match should also be aware that the Seattle Mariners are hosting the Detroit Tigers in a four-game homestand beginning this evening, with Wednesday's first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT. Please keep in mind that traffic and parking around Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field will be affected.
For additional details regarding traffic alerts, matchday transportation options and maps, please visit SoundersFC.com/Matchday/Transportation/Guide. Sounders FC's social media channels also continue to provide up-to-date information for media and fans as needed.
