Seattle Sounders FC announced that it has entered into a multi-year pitch naming rights partnership with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ Emerald Queen Casino (EQC), as the team unveils the Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field September 17 vs. Austin FC.
To kick off the partnership, hundreds of members of the Puyallup Tribe are attending the match, with Puyallup Tribe Cultural Director Connie McCloud performing a pitch blessing as part of the match’s opening ceremonies.
“Sounders FC is honored to introduce the Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field to our fans and the greater community,” said Sounders FC President of Business Operations Peter Tomozawa. “We’ve enjoyed working alongside the Puyallup Tribe and EQC in an official capacity as our jersey sleeve patch and official replay sponsor since last year, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to grow that relationship even deeper as we move forward together in this new, expanded affiliation.
Tomozawa continued, “Deals like this find the most success when both parties not only have similar goals for the partnership itself, but when they are also aligned similarly with deeper core values, and we feel like we couldn’t have found a better match on that front. Sounders FC, the Puyallup Tribe and EQC all recognize the power that our respective organizations have to empower and provide for our region, and especially youth. We look forward to utilizing this partnership to actively better the community together through our co-designed Career Development Program.”
The pitch naming rights deal expands an existing partnership that began in 2021, when the tribe and EQC became the official casino and entertainment partner of Sounders FC. The earlier deal included various integration, most visibly logo placement on the right sleeve of all Sounders FC kits.
“We are proud of this partnership with Sounders FC and honored to see our name and our salmon on the pitch at Lumen Field,” said the Puyallup Tribal Council. “Our impact in this region is positive and wide, from jobs to entertainment, and we want to ensure we team up with other community leaders that are also generous and welcoming to all people. The Sounders have been a joy to partner with and are committed to learning about and honoring our deep history and culture here as Puyallup people. We congratulate them for all their achievements.”
Modern ventures and partnerships have allowed the Puyallup Tribe to play a major role in both the local and regional economy, as the tribe and its subsidiaries serve collectively as the fifth-largest employer in Pierce County. Of these ventures, the Puyallup Tribe’s Emerald Queen Casino has occupied a respected place in the gaming and entertainment industry since 1996, when it existed as a riverboat casino in the Port of Tacoma. Currently, EQC operates two venues: a location in Fife, Washington that opened in 2004, and a new $400 million facility in Tacoma that opened in summer 2020.
