DELTA, SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC AND GOALKEEPER STEFAN FREI UNITE SEATTLE WITH T.I.F.O. PROJECT
Official Airline of Sounders FC and Frei to collaborate with fans throughout the season on multi-piece banner design in celebration of Delta’s support of Seattle; 60 fans to design T.I.F.O. piece at 30,000 feet on Delta’s first fan flight to away match in Portland
For Immediate Release: May 16, 2016
SEATTLE, WASH. – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Seattle Sounders FC are teaming-up to unite Seattle and celebrate Delta’s support of the city through one of soccer’s most storied traditions – a T.I.F.O. display.
“The Fabric of Sounders FC” is a T.I.F.O. collaboration under the creative direction of Stefan Frei, the team’s goalkeeper who is also a talented artist. The T.I.F.O. phenomenon runs deep in soccer culture and for Sounders FC fans, giving the community the opportunity to support the team through the creation of a large banner.
Developed over the course of the season, Delta, Sounders FC and its fans are creating a multi-piece banner, approximately 200 feet long and 75 feet wide, with each piece of fabric having its own unique design and telling a different story about Delta’s support of Seattle and the city’s love for Sounders FC. The completed T.I.F.O. will be unfurled on top of the East Delta Sky360 Club at CenturyLink Field on September28 at the Sounders FC home match against Chicago.
“Teaming-up with Delta for the Fabric of Sounders FC project is awesome because a sense of community is such a huge part of what makes the Sounders special,” said Frei. “Whether it’s people who are into art or people who are just fans of the Sounders – for art to be the medium that brings everyone together to support the club is huge.”
Frei is lending his creative vision to the project, helping with the overall design philosophy and serving as program ambassador throughout the season. The first piece of the T.I.F.O. is being created at an event at the Sounders FC training facility in Tukwila on May 18. Select fans, Voyager Middle School art students, Sounders FC Alliance members, Delta leaders and Sounders FC leaders are joining Frei for the creation of the first piece.
Sixty fans have the unprecedented experience of designing the final piece of the banner at 30,000 feet on a Delta charter fan flight just for Sounders FC fans to Portland for the team’s August 28 away match. Fans can sign-up from May 16 to July17 to win two seats on the private fan flight and tickets to the match by visiting a dedicated “The Fabric of Sounders FC” site and registering to become a Delta SkyMiles® member or by entering their existing SkyMiles account information.
Throughout the campaign, fans will be able to visit “The Fabric of Sounders FC” site that will serve as an all-access destination to follow along in the design process as Frei’s vision comes to life.
“As Seattle’s global airline, we’re in the business of uniting people,” said Mike Medeiros, Delta’s Vice President – Seattle. “With more than 3,000 Seattle-area employees, our support for Sounders FC runs deep – this time, we’re taking it to the turf with a T.I.F.O. display that will unite Sounders FC fans and celebrate Delta’s commitment to the city.”
Over the course of the season, local community groups, Delta employees and Sounders FC fans can take part in the making of the additional banner pieces and help share the story of how Delta is stitching together the city of Seattle through their love of Sounders FC. Events are taking place at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, CenturyLink Field, through social media and at various locations throughout the city.
In September, Delta and Sounders FC celebrated the extension of their partnership. For more information about “The Fabric of Sounders FC”, visitwww.SoundersFC.com/fabricofsfc.
“The Fabric of Sounders FC” is an extension of the airline’s You Can’t Stop Seattle brand campaign, which reveres Seattleites for their ideas and ambition and celebrates the growth and momentum of the city while telling the story of how Delta helps fuel Seattle’s pursuits. It celebrates Delta’s relationships with the city’s beloved, local teams — including Sounders FC – as well as its support of community organizations close to the hearts of Delta people. You Can’t Stop Seattle represents Delta’s significant investments in Seattle, whichhave driven changes across the competitive landscape – from product enhancements, to facility improvements, to financial benefits and community investment.
Delta has more than tripled its Seattle flights since 2012 and this summer will grow to 152 peak-day departures to 44 destinations around the globe from Seattle, including service to eight long-haul international destinations in Europe and Asia. Delta recently launched service to Boston, Orange County and Victoria, British Columbia.
Every Delta flight from Seattle features jet service with Delta One/First Class and Delta Comfort+ seating and free entertainment options via Delta Studio as well as Wi-Fi service on nearly every domestic aircraft operating in the contiguous U.S. Delta is the only carrier to offer full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access in Delta One on every long-haul international flight from Seattle along with entertainment on demand in every seat throughout the aircraft. The airline has also invested $15 million in its facilities at Sea-Tac, including its Delta Sky Club and lobby renovations, Sky Priority services, new gate area power recharging stations, expanded ticket counters and enhancements to the international arrivals area.
NO PURCHASE REQUIRED TO ENTER OR WIN. Open to entrants who are twenty one (21) years of age or older, who are legal residents of the Washington Stateand do not reside within 75 miles of Portland, Oregon. Sweepstakes begins Monday May 16, 2016 and ends Sunday July 17, 2016. For official rules visit www.SoundersFC.com/fabricofsoundersfc By entering this Sweepstakes, each entrant gives his/her express permission to be contacted by the Sponsor about other Sponsor programs. Sponsor: Delta Air Lines, 1030 Delta Boulevard Atlanta, GA 30354-1989. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
ABOUT DELTA AIRLINES
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and theDelta Connection carriers offer service to 330 destinations in 61 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of theSkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets includingAmsterdam, Atlanta,Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattleand Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta,Facebook.com/deltaand Delta’s blog takingoff.delta.com.
ABOUT SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Winner of the 2014 MLS Supporters’ Shield and four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championships (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014), Sounders FC is Seattle’s Major League Soccer franchise. With an ownership group led by Seattle-based entrepreneur Adrian Hanauer, Hollywood executive Joe Roth, Seattle Seahawks Chairman Paul G. Allen and entertainer Drew Carey, the club received an MLS charter on November 13, 2007 and has reached the MLS Cup Playoffs in every year of its existence. Since the club’s debut MLS season in 2009, Sounders FC has set the standard for soccer support in North America by leading the league in attendance each year, culminating in the top six single-season attendance totals in league history and an active streak of 132 consecutive MLS sellouts. Prior to joining MLS, the Seattle Sounders organization has been a part of the greater Seattle community and U.S. Soccer professional scene since 1974.
ABOUT STEFAN FREI
Stefan Frei signed with Sounders FC prior to the 2014 season after spending the first five years of his professional career with Toronto FC. Since then, the Swiss international has held the starting goalkeeper position for Seattle, amassing an overall record of 38-24-11 with 22 shutouts. The Cal-Berkeley product was named Sounders FC’s Defender of the Year in 2015 after finishing in the top-five in MLS in nearly every goalkeeping category, including a tie for the league lead in fewest goals allowed.