Democracy in Sports
Mr. Drew Carey, the First Honorary Chairperson and creator of the Alliance, wanted to bring fan involvement to Seattle Sounders FC and made it a condition of joining the other owners of the Club. Fan involvement was realized with the creation of the Alliance and the Alliance Council: the entities involved in the feedback process with owners and the Front Office. “I'm very excited about what we're doing here in Seattle,” said Carey. “Where else can the fans fire the general manager? I hope this becomes a model for every professional sports organization in America.”
Fans have a say in the direction of their Club, including a vote on retention or lack of confidence for the general manager every four years. The first general manager vote took place in the fall of 2012 at the end of the Major League Soccer season. In 2015, Adrian Hanauer replaced himself in the position of General Manager with Garth Lagerwey. At that time, the Alliance Council began deliberations regarding when the next vote of retention/no confidence should be held, along with a formalized recall process. The results of that work can be found here. The next regularly scheduled retention vote is 2022.
Alliance Goals
Provide Alliance members with a voice in the overall direction of the organization, including but not limited to the following:
- A vote on retention or lack of confidence in the Club’s General Manager approximately every four years
- The right to advise on the Club’s charitable contributions
- The right to advise on matters regarding game-day experience
- The right to advise on matters that primarily affect fan experience
How to get involved:
- Nominate yourself for Alliance Council
- Council members will serve terms up to two years
- Members interested in participating on the Council must receive 25 votes from Alliance members
- The Council meets in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle on the first Tuesday of each month in addition to the Annual Business meeting
- Each Council member will serve as a liaison from the Alliance to the ownership group
Why Join the Council?
- Your Voice. Your Club.
- Represent all Alliance Members in key decisions impacting matchday
Get an inside scoop of your club - Meet with ownership three times a year
- Connect with other Sounders FC supporters