Fight Racism

SOUNDERS FC CELEBRATES LATINX HERITAGE MONTH

From September 15 to October 15, Sounders FC celebrates Latinx Heritage Month! We are excited to celebrate and continue to invest in the Latinx community this month, in alignment with our Social Justice Framework.

We acknowledge the complexity of the terminology used to celebrate this month and recognize the variety of ways that members of the community identify. At Sounders FC, we use the inclusive term Latinx in alignment with our firm belief in LGBTQ+ equality, and to recognize and celebrate the diversity of culture and heritage of the community represented by Sounders FC players, staff and fans.

FIESTAS PATRIAS COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

We are kicking off the month’s festivities at Sea Mar’s Fiestas Patrias on Saturday, September 16 from 1 PM – 3 PM! The day will be complete with two RAVE clinics — one for younger children and one for children 7 and older — a soccer ball giveaway, street team activations and a special ticket offer for the October 4 match celebrating Latinx Heritage Month. This community celebration of Latinx culture and traditions is a free two-day event (September 16 and September 17) where attendees can enjoy delicious traditional Latin American food, live music, traditional folk dance performances and more.

SUPPORT LATINX-OWNED BUSINESSES

Seattle Sounders FC, Intentionalist and the Seattle professional sports community are collaborating, once again, to encourage fans to #SpendLikeItMatters in support of the Latinx-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, are encouraging the community to buy from local Latinx-owned small businesses this month, and all year long. As an incentive through Latinx Heritage Month, fans who upload receipts from qualifying Latinx-owned businesses have the chance to win a variety of prizes from Seattle’s professional sports teams, including a pair of Sounders FC tickets and autographed gear.

Fans can support local Latinx-owned businesses on matchdays throughout the month by stopping by our featured food trucks and restaurants.

Help us reach our goal of $25,000 by uploading your receipt here!

YAKIMA MINI-PITCH OPENING

RAVE Foundation will be opening a two new mini-pitches at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Yakima on Friday, September 22. These special mini-pitches feature a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr., created by artist and Friend of Sounders FC, Teddy “STAT” Phillips. The celebration will include representatives from 2026 FIFA World Cup Seattle’s Local Organizing Committee, Washington Youth Soccer Executive Director and RAVE Trustee Roger Levesque, and Consul to Mexico, Héctor Iván Godoy Priske. Immediately following the ceremony, RAVE will give every student a soccer ball to take home.

CELEBRATE ON MATCHDAY

We are excited to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month during our October 4 match against the LA Galaxy! Sounders FC players will be wearing exclusive Latinx Heritage Month tops for warmups, as part of the leaguewide initiative. These tops will be auctioned by RAVE Foundation with proceeds going to support RAVE’s work in Yakima.Fans in attendance can try various cuisines from select featured Latinx-owned food trucks and restaurants in the North Plaza and PNW Marketplace. Additionally, youth from Sea Mar’s LEAP Program (Latino/a Education Advancement Program) will have the opportunity to attend a Pro Sports Career Panel featuring Latinx-identifying employees of Sounders FC and more!

Sounders FC invests in BIPOC youth through programs and partners that center health equity, play equity and environmental equity and that develop the pipeline of diverse talent. We acknowledge our privilege and by centering experts, use our platform to educate others around the systemic impacts of racism, privilege, bias and intolerance. We also center our spend on the ground floor with BIPOC and diverse-owned small businesses.

SUPPORT BIPOC AND DIVERSE-OWNED BUSINESSES

Sounders FC has teamed up with Intentionalist, an online guide to intentional spending that makes it easy to find and support small businesses and diverse local communities, for a collaboration to consistently support and tell the stories of BIPOC and diverse-owned businesses. 

Sounders FC and Intentionalist believe where you spend matters. We have partnered together to showcase these businesses that keep our community vibrant and encourage fans to support them through their spending. Fans interested in intentional spending can find select BIPOC and diverse-owned businesses, aligned with our Social Impact and cultural calendar, across Lumen Field on matchday.

EMPOWER BIPOC YOUTH

Sounders FC and RAVE Foundation have partnered with the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) for “Books and Balls” giveaways in historically marginalized communities. RAVE Foundation provides a soccer ball to each youth, to give them access to sport and play, while NAAM provides children’s books curated by Black authors, illustrated by Black artists, and that center and affirm Black characters.

In alignment with our dedication to developing and investing in a diverse workforce that is representative of our community, we have partnered with Emerald Queen Casino (EQC) and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to host a comprehensive career development partnership with Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ Chief Leschi Schools. With this long-term commitment, we are working to create opportunities for Indigenous youth to visualize their future by providing real-life work experiences and insights into professional sports careers.

PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY EXPERTS

As part of our commitment to amplify the voices of and learn from community experts, we have partnered with Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, Northwest African American Museum (NAAM), Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Though largely spotlighted during related heritage months, our partnership with each museum is a continuous and intentional effort to inform our anti-racism work and further cultivate an inclusive environment for our community members of diverse backgrounds. We work closely with each museum to host events such as Sounders Day, where fans can receive free entry to learn about each community and its history in Washington state, soccer clinics at museum youth events with RAVE Foundation and more.