The home of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC will get a shiny new sign this week.
Peter McLoughlin, president of both teams, announced on Monday that Qwest Field will officially be renamed CenturyLink Field and CenturyLink Event Center.
CenturyLink purchased Qwest in April.
McLoughlin will hold a press conference at the stadium on Thursday to reveal the new logo.
“Although the name of this facility will change; the history, tradition and spirit of the 12th Man and the Sounders FC supporters will never change,” McLoughlin said in a statement. “We are excited about our partnership with CenturyLink and our on-going commitment to positively impact the fans of the Pacific Northwest.”
Opened as Seahawks Stadium in 2002, the team sold the naming rights for the stadium to the telecommunications company in 2004. The initial agreement with Qwest called for the company to pay about $75 million over 15 years, with a five-year renewal option available after 10 years in 2014.
The Seattle Mariners’ home stadium, Safeco Field, has remained under the same name since the stadium opened in 1999. Safeco Insurance signed a 20-year deal worth a reported $40 million for the naming rights, and kept the name the same even though Liberty Mutual Group took over the insurance company in 2008.
The University of Washington’s basketball facility also experienced a name change this year. The former Bank of America Arena was renamed Alaska Airlines Arena once the naming rights deal with the university lapsed.
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437 eric.williams@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/
