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Over 5,300 Fans Attend Reign FC’s Cheney Stadium Debut

Reign FC Cheney Stadium opener

Reign FC‘s home opener at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium was met with a strong response, as over 5,300 fans turned out to Sunday’s match.

After playing several seasons out of Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center, Reign FC is shifting home matches to Tacoma in 2019. The long-term plan could see Reign FC and USL Championship’s Tacoma Defiance move into a new soccer-specific stadium that is being explored for a site adjacent to Cheney Stadium–primarily the home of Minor League Baseball’s Rainiers (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League)–but for now both clubs will play home matches at the facility.

Reign FC’s Cheney Stadium debut came on Sunday night, when a reported attendance of 5,323 fans witnessed a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride. It marked the largest crowd to attend a Reign FC home match since August 2017, and the enthusiasm from fans did not go unnoticed by Reign FC head coach Vlatko Andonovski. More from ReignFC.com:

Andonovski praised the atmosphere at the stadium, created by the largest home crowd for a Reign match since Reign FC took on Portland on August 26, 2017 with a crowd of 6,041.

“From my own perspective on the sideline, I loved it,” Andonovski said. “Every time they got on their feet, every time they yelled, it was loud. It was really exciting. There were lots of times where I had a smile on my face saying ‘this is good.’ I want to thank the fans for coming out and supporting us. I will promise them that we’re going to put on a good show. They players loved it, they’re just as thankful for the support.

Our own Jon Bruning took a closer look at Reign FC’s shift to Tacoma, the addition of new investors in the club, and the plans for a soccer-specific stadium in a Soccer Stadium Digest feature published in February.

Image courtesy Reign FC.

RELATED STORIES: Tacoma’s Soccer Scene Grows With Two Clubs, Stadium Talks; Seattle Reign FC to Tacoma; Tacoma Defiance New USL Brand

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August Publications