We, once again, want to express our deepest appreciation to you, our Seattle Storm fans and corporate partners. So many of you have reached out with questions, concerns, and messages of support for our team and our staff. Like all of you, we are working to process the information on a daily basis about COVID-19 and the impact it is having on our community and the world around us.
We have established a taskforce that is working directly with Washington State health officials, local health officials and the WNBA to ensure we are supporting our players, coaches and staff with recommended guidance and best practices during this time.
With this email, we hope to share our preliminary thinking regarding how we will honor our relationship with our fans and partners, the lifeblood of our franchise, whose passion and support serve as key motivators for the ownership and leadership of the Storm.
Although our season opener is scheduled for May 15, which is two months away, we are scenario planning around the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic. We are hopeful that the COVID-19 impact will be more manageable by the time our season begins, but we have begun planning nonetheless. In addition, we are continuously monitoring developments and consulting with the league office.
Our commitment to our community remains unchanged; our communication network is vast; and our ability to learn and adapt is top notch. Please know we will offer you the best, safest, and most viable options available to us when the time comes to make decisions about games.
In the meantime, we ask for your patience as we work through the various sales, support, and operational challenges. Our goal remains what it has always been: to deliver the highest value to our supporters. You have our commitment to communicate in a timely manner as we make decisions about our season and how best to handle the challenges ahead.
Thank you for your support.
Lisa Brummel, Ginny Gilder & Dawn Trudeau, Force 10 Ownership
Alisha Valavanis, Seattle Storm CEO & General Manager