NYCFC unveil plans for brand new soccer-specific stadium in Queens

At long last, New York City FC are getting their very own soccer-specific stadium.

On Wednesday, the 2021 MLS Cup champions revealed a partnership with Mayor Eric Adams, Council Member Francisco Moya, labor unions, and the Queens Development Group that will spearhead a brand new, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood in the Willets Point community in Queens.

The plans also include a 25,000-seat for NYCFC that is entirely privately funded, alongside 2,500 units of affordable housing. The venue will be built using union labor with a targeted opening in 2027.

"When we founded our league 27 years ago, we had a theme that we wanted to be a league for a new America, a country that's diverse, that's young, that's connected with passion, with a global game, the beautiful game," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

"Now here we are today. The personification of that dream, of that vision, has been living in cities across America and throughout Canada. Today is one of the most momentous days in the history of our great league."

Since joining MLS in 2015, NYCFC have primarily played at Yankee Stadium, home of Major League Baseball outfit the New York Yankees. However, when scheduling clashes have arisen with the Yankees, they've often been forced to play at other venues in the tri-state area, including Citi Field and Red Bull Arena - the home of their arch-rivals, the New York Red Bulls.

The plans in Queens will finally give NYCFC supporters a home and identity of their own as they continue to build themselves as an elite force in MLS.

"Our fans were itinerant spectators who needed new GPS coordinates to attend games week to week in different locations," said NYCFC vice chairman Marty Edelman. "But that incomplete condition ends today. We have come home to Queens, to Willets Point."

Despite not having a permanent home of their own and having to continually switch venues, NYCFC have consistently averaged in excess of 20,000 fans per season.

The entire project - which also includes 40,000 square feet of public open space, a hotel, and ground-floor retail shops - is expected to generate over $6 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, while creating 1,550 permanent jobs and 14,200 construction jobs.

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