The Sounders invited season ticket holders out to Fan Fest at the Longacres campus Saturday and took the opportunity to debut a revamped Annual Business Meeting. The event, which had dwindled to a bit of an afterthought last year and was held virtually in secret, had a grand rebirth with the Alliance Council sourcing questions from fans on a wide range of topics. Those in attendance got to hear from lead voices in the business and sporting sides of the organization, as well as majority owner Adrian Hanauer. You can watch the whole hour-and-a-half conversation here. Let’s dig in to some of the highlights and what it all means.
Finances
It is no secret that spending league-wide is trending upward. When asked about the Sounders’ ability to compete in the transfer market, Hanauer reiterated the themes he emphasized in his comments to Sounder at Heart earlier this season:
“This isn’t popular when I say it, but our goal has never been to win the transfer window competition. Our goal is to win championships, and to do it with the right combination of players and the right efficiency and spend in the right areas for the right amount at the right times.”
“There is a reality to where the league is going, and we need to be super smart about it.”
“The players are a big percentage [of winning championships], but there are a whole bunch of other things.”
“There’s a whole new breed of billionaire owners. That doesn’t always mean they make smart decisions. We need to use our resources, generate more resources, and deploy them in a really smart way.”
President of Business Operations Hugh Weber was clear that while the Sounders’ mission to win championships remains, the growth of the league necessitates growth from the organization in order to accomplish that mission:
“Our mission has not changed. First and foremost, our job is to win championships and cups and have impact on our community.”
“In order for us to keep competitive and to continue to be at the top… we need resources to do it.”
The Sounders’ ownership spent a large sum of money on the team’s new facility at Longacres while also joining the ownership group that purchased the Seattle Reign. Has all that spending become an impediment to the Sounders’ financial health and their ability to sign players? Hanauer was adamant that the Reign purchase is not affecting the Sounders’ budget:
“These clubs are owned separately. They are separate entities… There is zero impact from one to the other and the financial health of the club is good.”
