June was a jam-packed month full of community celebrations! As an organization, Sounders FC stands against racism, for LGBTQ+ equality and believes that play is every child’s right. In alignment with these arenas for change, we celebrated Pride Month, celebrated Juneteenth and prepared for another mini-pitch opening in the month of June!
Progress Pride Flag Raising
We began the month with the raising of the Progress Pride Flag at Lumen Field on June 2 to celebrate Pride Month. Kelyn Rowe and Dylan Teves were joined by two OL Reign players and representatives from the Emerald City Supporters, Trans Families and Starbucks for the event. The flag flew high at Lumen Field during Sounders FC and OL Reign matches throughout the month.
Environmental Stewardship in Yakima
On June 5, Sounders FC, RAVE Foundation, and EarthGen prepared for the installation of an upcoming mini-pitch at MLK Jr. Elementary in Yakima with a garden planting day. Volunteers from the elementary school, community and Sounders FC worked hard to prepare the garden space, spread rocks and plant assorted flora.
Celebrating Juneteenth
Sounders FC and RAVE Foundation joined the Northwest African American Museum’s (NAAM) Juneteenth celebrations. On June 17, NAAM celebrated Black youth with a day of intentional programming, including a soccer clinic we hosted and another “Books and Balls” collaborative giveaway!
As part of the league-wide Juneteenth celebrations, Sounders FC auctioned off a limited-edition jersey adorned with Juneteenth-inspired numbers. Proceeds benefitted RAVE Foundation, supporting its work to bring play equity to predominantly Black communities throughout our region.
Annual Pride Match
We enjoyed celebrating the LGBTQ+ community at our annual Pride match, presented by Starbucks, on June 24! The night was complete with LGBTQ+ and diverse-owned businesses, presented by First & Goal Inc. and Levy and curated by Intentionalist, Pride pre-match tops and an auction of game-worn jerseys adorned with Pride numbers! We were honored to host attendees of the Athlete Ally Activism Summit and Trans Families – with the latter being beneficiaries of the 50/50 raffle and youth from the organization participating in Dream Team.
Seattle Pride Parade
We got together to show our Seattle Sports Pride at the 49th Seattle Pride Parade on June 25! Staff and supporters of Sounders FC marched alongside our fellow local professional sports teams and student-athletes from across the country who convened in Seattle for the Athlete Ally Activism Summit. We are proud to have been a part of this community-wide celebration advancing awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and promoting mutual respect and equal human rights for all.
Receipt and Receive with Intentionalist
Sounders FC, Intentionalist and the Seattle professional sports community collaborated, once again, to encourage fans to #SpendLikeItMatters in support of the LGBTQ+ owned small businesses at the heart of our local community.
In the Receipt & Receive program, Intentionalist and Sounders FC, along with fellow local professional sports teams, encouraged the community to buy from local LGBTQ+ owned small businesses in June, and all year long. As an incentive through the month, fans who uploaded receipts from qualifying LGBTQ+ owned businesses had the chance to win a variety of prizes from Seattle’s sports teams, including a pair of Sounders FC tickets and autographed gear.
Together, we catalyzed $34,467 of spending at LGBTQ+ owned businesses in the month of June — surpassing our goal of $30,000!
