Virginia Mason Athletic Center
Encyclopedia
The Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) is a privately funded sporting facility situated on 19 acres (76,890.3 m²) of industrial property along the shores of Lake Washington
in Renton, Washington
. It is the headquarters and practice facility for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks
. The team holds mini-camps and training camp here. Beginning the 2009 season, the Seahawks opened their training camp to the public.
The site is bounded by Interstate 405
to the east, Lake Washington to the west, residential properties to the north and open land area to the south. Its southern boundary is located approximately 1/4 of mile north of 44th Street.
During the Seahawks' first ten seasons (1976–86), the team's headquarters was located at Carillon Point on the shores of Lake Washington. Their training camps were held at Eastern Washington University
in Cheney, just southwest of Spokane. When the team's new headquarters in Kirkland was completed in 1986, the Seahawks held training camp there for the next eleven seasons (1986–96). While there, the players stayed in the dormitories of the adjacent Northwest College. In 1997, the team returned training camp to Cheney through 2006. In 2007, training camp returned to Kirkland because of the scheduled China Bowl
game that was later canceled. On May 9, 2006, the Seahawks announced plans for a state-of-the-art training facility to be located along Lake Washington. The 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) waterfront facility, second-largest in the NFL, would be located within the northern city limits of Renton and scheduled to open in the Summer of 2008.
. During the announcement, Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke stated "Virginia Mason is recognized as one of the top hospitals in the country," and "the VMAC will allow our organization to consolidate into one facility, attract and retain free agents and bring training camp back home. The Seahawks, like Virginia Mason, strive to be at the top of our profession and this partnership helps accomplish that goal."
. The indoor field has a clear height of 95 feet (29 m) to allow both kicking and punting. The facility also features a large berm just beside the outdoor fields for Seahawks fans to watch training camp from. The first floor of the building, approximately 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) holds an auditorium and the team area, this includes the: locker room, lounge, training room, weight room, team meeting rooms and media production studios. The second floor, approximately 48000 square feet (4,459.3 m²) houses the Seahawks football administration of coaching and football personnel offices, the draft room, cafeteria and weight room mezzanine. The third floor holds Seahawks administrative offices. The on site parking lot holds 275 vehicles. A dock was constructed in order to accommodate boats of the team personnel along with seaplanes that fly free agents directly to the facility.
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
in Renton, Washington
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
. It is the headquarters and practice facility for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. The team holds mini-camps and training camp here. Beginning the 2009 season, the Seahawks opened their training camp to the public.
The site is bounded by Interstate 405
Interstate 405 (Washington)
Interstate 405 in Washington is a stretch of freeway that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila...
to the east, Lake Washington to the west, residential properties to the north and open land area to the south. Its southern boundary is located approximately 1/4 of mile north of 44th Street.
History
The site was formerly home to a coal tar refinery & creosote plant. With approval in 2000 from the City of Renton and Washington State Department of Ecology, owner of the Seahawks Paul G. Allen purchased the land through his company Vulcan Real Estate. Along with the construction of the facility, an agreement was created to restore the environmental climate of the site and its wetlands by improving and redeveloping the site.During the Seahawks' first ten seasons (1976–86), the team's headquarters was located at Carillon Point on the shores of Lake Washington. Their training camps were held at Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral...
in Cheney, just southwest of Spokane. When the team's new headquarters in Kirkland was completed in 1986, the Seahawks held training camp there for the next eleven seasons (1986–96). While there, the players stayed in the dormitories of the adjacent Northwest College. In 1997, the team returned training camp to Cheney through 2006. In 2007, training camp returned to Kirkland because of the scheduled China Bowl
China Bowl
The China Bowl was the name of a proposed National Football League pre-season exhibition game that had been scheduled to take place in August 2007, but later postponed to 2009 and ultimately canceled, between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at the National Stadium in Beijing...
game that was later canceled. On May 9, 2006, the Seahawks announced plans for a state-of-the-art training facility to be located along Lake Washington. The 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) waterfront facility, second-largest in the NFL, would be located within the northern city limits of Renton and scheduled to open in the Summer of 2008.
Naming & Partnership
Following plans for the new headquarters, the Seahawks announced an expanded partnership with Virginia Mason Medical CenterVirginia Mason Medical Center
Virginia Mason Medical Center , founded in 1920, is a private, non-profit organization located in Seattle, Washington.-Organization:Gary S. Kaplan, MD, serves as chairman and CEO....
. During the announcement, Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke stated "Virginia Mason is recognized as one of the top hospitals in the country," and "the VMAC will allow our organization to consolidate into one facility, attract and retain free agents and bring training camp back home. The Seahawks, like Virginia Mason, strive to be at the top of our profession and this partnership helps accomplish that goal."
Facilities
The VMAC features four practice fields, three outdoors and one indoors. The outdoor fields are natural grass whereas the indoor field in FieldTurfFieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
. The indoor field has a clear height of 95 feet (29 m) to allow both kicking and punting. The facility also features a large berm just beside the outdoor fields for Seahawks fans to watch training camp from. The first floor of the building, approximately 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) holds an auditorium and the team area, this includes the: locker room, lounge, training room, weight room, team meeting rooms and media production studios. The second floor, approximately 48000 square feet (4,459.3 m²) houses the Seahawks football administration of coaching and football personnel offices, the draft room, cafeteria and weight room mezzanine. The third floor holds Seahawks administrative offices. The on site parking lot holds 275 vehicles. A dock was constructed in order to accommodate boats of the team personnel along with seaplanes that fly free agents directly to the facility.
Size
| VMAC | Kirkland | |
|---|---|---|
| Site size | 19 acres (76,890.3 m²) | 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) |
| Total space | 220,000 | 41,000 |
| Locker room | 5,700 | 1,140 |
| Weight room | 6,000 | 2,430 |
| Training room | 4,300 | 1,836 |
| Player lounge | 1,350 | None |
| Dining room | 2,200 | 924 |
| Kitchen | 1,800 | 221 |
| Grass Fields | 3 | 2 |
| Fieldturf FieldTurf FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass... Fields |
1 | 1 |