Seattle Sounders FC to work on youth mental health with Providence

Seattle Sounders FC and Providence, a not-for-profit health system serving the Western United States, has announced a new partnership that brings together two community-oriented organizations in a dynamic agreement, centered upon driving meaningful impact in the area of youth mental health and wellness.

 

Through this relationship, Providence and Sounders FC are working hand-in-hand with district leadership to develop, implement and provide support for a variety of programming and services focused on concrete ways to improve mental health for students.

 

Home to the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, the club’s new state-of-the-art training facility set to open in 2024, Renton sits 11 miles south of Seattle and its school district serves over 15,000 young people. Encompassed in the long-term partnership between Providence and Sounders FC is a long-term commitment to the community where the Rave Green will operate.

 

Also, part of the Providence-Sounders FC relationship, Providence Swedish becomes the Official Medical Services Provider and Official Healthcare Partner of Sounders FC, with physicians from Swedish Medical Group serving as Sounders FC’s team doctors. Additionally, the Providence mark is being proudly displayed on the front of all Sounders FC kits beginning this season. Providence becomes the third jersey front partner in Sounders FC’s MLS history, replacing previous kit partner Zulily (2019-2022).

 

Sounders FC engaged global sports and entertainment industry leader Oak View Group’s (OVG) Global Partnerships division to assist in the development and completion of the multi-year partnership. OVG Global Partnerships is the 2021 recipient of Sports Business Journal’s Best in Sales, Consulting and Client Service Award for connecting world-class brands across the professional sports landscape.

 

“From our earliest conversations with Providence, this partnership was always about shared values, especially our combined organizational commitment to our region’s youth and making communities healthier places to live,” said Sounders FC Majority Owner Adrian Hanauer.

 

“In our club’s view, working with community-minded partners is critical to Sounders FC’s overall mission, and in Providence we have found a partner that is deeply vested in the Puget Sound region and whose values and goals align with our own. Today’s announcement is less about the mark that our players will wear across their chests on gameday and more about the deep community investment that Providence and Sounders FC are coming together to fulfill. Mental health – especially for young people – is a critical part of a healthy society, and we’re looking forward to employing the resources and reach of our two organizations to focus on these outcomes.”

 

Hanauer continued, “As the club begins this new relationship with Providence, I would also like to recognize and sincerely thank both Zulily and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health for their support of the Rave Green over the years. As partners of ours, we achieved some great things and experienced some amazing moments together, and though Sounders FC begins a new chapter today, we remain grateful for what these two organizations contributed.”

 

“We are looking for innovative ways to bring more understanding to a serious issue,” said Arpan Waghray, M.D., Chief Executive, Institute for Mental Health and Wellness. “There is a mental health crisis in this country with millions of people suffering and young people being especially impacted since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. This partnership with Sounders FC helps Providence reach people in new ways and connect them to resources available in their communities and beyond.”

 

“As two Renton-based organizations, Providence and Seattle Sounders FC have been looking for ways to partner to improve the health of the community. One area where we share common urgency is the mental health crisis among young people. Passion for sports like soccer is often a powerful way to join people together in a common cause. We’re excited to use this platform to help to improve access to resources for our local youth, starting with the Renton School District,” said Providence President and CEO Rod Hochman, M.D.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Posts

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.

Back To Top