Partnering Up: United Soccer League & Treatment

Professional soccer is coming to Spokane, led by a dynamic team, with plans to put a pitch-sized stamp on the sports culture of the Inland Northwest.

Your pals at Treatment — we are honored to report — get to help bring that vision to life!

After a request for proposals process that included creative agencies from around the United States and many of Spokane’s homegrown leaders, USL Spokane chose Treatment to help envision a beautiful, powerful, and most importantly Spokane-centered brand identity. Our passion for this place was part of the reason we were chosen. And one of the reasons we accepted was USL Spokane’s commitment to making this a club for everyone in Spokane, regardless of who you are, where you were born, what you believe, or how many tickets you’re going to be able to buy. We also loved their vision of kicking the process off with a series of listening sessions with different segments of our community.

It will be a community-driven process for a future community icon.

We’re a city that fights for what it loves, and we’ve been punching above our weight for a long time, in everything from Hoopfest and Bloomsday to Terrain to, yes, being the smallest city ever to host a World’s Fair.

Over the last decade, we have been building our confidence as a community, and our ambition for who we want to become in this special corner of the world.

And guess what? The United Soccer League (USL) noticed.

The next step, and where we can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get to work, is to make sure every team and city in the league takes notice.

This is Spokane. We’re a force to be reckoned with.

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USL is the fastest growing professional soccer organization in North America, overseeing the USL Championship (USSF Division II), USL League One (USSF Division III), and USL Women’s League. The new Spokane League One team will play at the soon-to-be-built downtown Spokane Stadium on the north shore of the Spokane River.

When we first heard about the project, the buzz in the office was intense. (It felt like Benji held his breath for a week as we waited.) When Team President Cindy Wendle called to tell us we had won... We. Were. JAZZED.

The sport has touched all of our lives in different ways. Perhaps you’re like Benji, a longtime fan of the European game. Or maybe the thought of soccer calls to mind halftime orange slices and Chewy bars in your youth. Or you might simply have a Ted Lasso-ian enthusiasm for the game, despite extremely limited knowledge. Maybe you’ve come to Spokane from another country and found a feeling of home and a needed point of connection at pick-up games.

Regardless of how soccer has touched your life, one thing is certain: it’s a global language, and Spokane has now joined the conversation.

We’re excited to have a hand in helping our community find its soccer voice.

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The first phase of the community effort is a series of listening sessions. It’s your chance to let your voice be heard. If you have the time, please fill out the survey, participate in a listening session, engage the Treatment team in soccer banter, and in the very near future, come out to support your local teams on the pitch.