GOAL!
Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Russell Wilson, and his wife, Grammy winning singer and songwriter Ciara, have joined the ownership team of the Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC.
This week, the Seattle Sounders announced that they were welcoming 11 new families to its ownership team. The organization has been around since 1974, but the Sounders FC made their debut in 2009, mounting a victory streak including winning the 2016 MLS cup, four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships, qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs every year since its inception and leading the league in attendance for 8 consecutive seasons.
Wilson, a six-time Pro Bowler, made the announcement via Twitter. “Football. Fútbol. We Love them both!” he tweeted Tuesday morning, along with a photo of himself, Ciara and their children in Sounders gear. “We can’t wait for our kids to grow up loving Soccer!” Wilson has been extremely active in the Seattle community since joining the Seahawks back in 2012.
Football. Fútbol. We Love them both! @ciara and I are fired up to announce we are Team Owners of the Seattle @SoundersFC one of the best soccer franchises in the world! We can’t wait for our kids to grow up loving Soccer! Family is everything! #SoundersIsFamily ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/LbOCt7WI5i
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) August 13, 2019
The Sounders FC group majority owners include businessman Adrian Hanauer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Jody Allen, and actor and comedian Drew Carey. The new additions are coming in to round out the ownership group and push the brand forward. “This was not a financial investment,” said Hanauer at a news conference today. “This was about community, team, culture, diversity, inclusiveness and, yeah, winning.” Russell Wilson echoed Hanauer’s sentiments saying, “we’re really excited about building that winning culture. This city is a special place. The Pacific Northwest is a place we love and we get to raise our kids here and have a lot of fun while doing it. We want to bring the best soccer players in the world right here to Seattle.”
This is not the first time the Wilsons have ventured into the world of sports investment. In 2014, Russell teamed up to bring an NBA/NHL arena to the city of Seattle. He and Ciara also sought to bring Major League Baseball to Portland, Oregon. Ciara recognizes the importance of planting roots in her community, not only for herself and her husband, but also for their children. “This is not only a special moment for Russ and I, but for our kids as well,” Ciara said. “When we walked into the building and our kids were running around with their names on their little jerseys, it meant a lot for so many reasons. It’s an honor to join the Sounders team and have the unique opportunity to represent female ownership within major-league sports. The team has already done some amazing things, but I believe the best is ahead, and we’re excited to be part of that.”
We look forward to see what comes of this partnership and are super excited to see what The Wilsons cook up next.