40 years is a great milestone for any club, and we wanted to celebrate the beginning of our 40th year with something that reminded our players of the history of the Sounders, and inspired them to add their time with the club to that history.

The Concept
A multi staged deployment consisting first of a bookshelf with notable players named on the bindings, and small trophies celebrating our 4 championships.  Second, a book of Sounders history with pages for each era, NASL, USL, and MLS, and a blank page with a quill and ink suggesting to continue the Sounders legacy.

Players
Choosing players we wanted a combination of different types of players and what they meant to the club.  NASL was filled with a number of legendary players like Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore.  We thought a reminder of the caliber of player that put on the jersey was fitting for this era. 

For USL we wanted to acknowledge the work horses of the club, the players that would give their all for the crest and, while may not have had the name recognition as their NASL counterparts, were just a vital to the club’s history.

For MLS we decided to do a mixture of both of the previous eras, along with something acknowledging each ECS Player of the Year for their commitment to the supporters and the city. 

Production
We started sewing the material together in early February. Over the course of two days we sewed together all 28,000sqft which was over 1.5 miles of seams. We used up to four sewing machines at a time, each with a team of 3 or 4 to complete the assembly.

Painting the display took 3 weeks, with over 40 volunteers puting in as much time as they could afford, usually working about 8hrs a night. Fun (totally coincidental) fact, this display took 74 gallons of paint. The card portion of the display took 2 nights to prep with each of the 7,500 cards hand cut by volunteer ECS members.

The level of ingenuity, creativity, and efficiency our volunteers bring is something to behold. We’re truly grateful for all their help. These couldn’t happen with their loyal support and love for the Sounders.

Deployment

Pulleys, ropes, and brute strength were required to raise the bookcase and open the book to show the club's history.  We'll let the display speak for itself.

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