Weeks after an extension was announced, new information is surfacing on the naming rights agreement for CenturyLink Field.
CenturyLink will have its name on the home of the Seattle Seahawks for the next few decades, as the two sides announced an extension in May. The agreement, pending the approval of the Washington State Public Stadium Authority, would see the company keep its name on the stadium and the CenturyLink Field Event Center through 2033.
The agreement continues a longtime partnership, as the stadium was first named Qwest Field in 2004 and then became CenturyLink Field in 2011 after CenturyLink acquired Qwest Communications. Per the terms of the extension, CenturyLink will pay $162.7 million over a 15-year period beginning in 2019. That information was revealed on Wednesday; the agreement is expected to receive final approval. More from The Seattle Times:
The figure became known during a hearing in Olympia when the company told a special legislative advisory committee that it had asked the Public Stadium Authority to approve the agreement. According to reports from The Spokesman-Review and KUOW.org the agreement is likely to be approved.
According to the reports, Dan Barrett, a sports business consultant the authority hired to review the deal, told the committee that deal is “very good.” Barrett told the committee that the new contract would rank fifth among the 24 NFL teams that sell the naming rights to their stadiums compared to the 17th of the current deal.
CenturyLink Field originally opened in 2002 as Seahawks Stadium.
Image courtesy Seattle Seahawks.
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