Starfire Sports, Multi-purpose sports complex in Tukwila, US
Starfire Sports is a multi-purpose sports complex in Tukwila featuring numerous outdoor fields made of different surfaces and two indoor courts alongside the Green River. The site also includes a stadium with seating capacity, classrooms, and meeting rooms for various events and gatherings.
The site was Fort Dent Park, a King County park with grass soccer fields, a cricket pitch and softball fields. After budget cuts forced the county to schedule its closure at the end of 2002, Chris Slatt, Steve Beck and Mark Bickham formed Starfire Sports and negotiated a 40-year lease with Tukwila, relieving the city of about $500,000 in annual maintenance. Construction of the $10 million complex included four lighted FieldTurf fields and a stadium with a 2,000-seat grandstand.
The annual All Nations Cup brings together local teams representing their nationalities at the complex. The Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby have played their home matches here since spring 2018, and the stadium has also hosted the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches of Seattle Sounders FC.
The 54-acre site sits on the banks of the Green River, with the 4,500-seat stadium grandstand at its core and indoor courts plus outdoor turf fields around it. Part of the grounds remains a wooded public park maintained by Tukwila. Some Sounders training areas and fields allow public access, and part of training sessions has been opened to spectators.
In 2004 the stadium field became only the eighth American artificial-surface pitch to earn "recommended" status from FIFA, making it eligible for international play. The 4,500-seat main stadium later hosted the 2023 USL League Two Final, where Ballard FC beat Lionsbridge FC 2–1 before 3,416 spectators.
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