In what might be the beginning of the end of New York City FC’s stadium saga, the New York Times reported earlier tonight that the club will build a $780 million, 25,000-seat stadium in Willets Points, adjacent to the Citi Field in Queens. The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
According to the article, the stadium will be “the centerpiece of a giant mixed-use development that would transform a long-underutilized waterfront section of Queens.” The 23-acre project will be built by a group of developers that includes Related Companies (developer of Hudson Yards), and Sterling Equities (which is partially controlled by the Wilpon family, former owner of the Mets), and will include 2,500 units of housing, a 250-room hotel, and public amenities including parkland. The stadium will be privately financed, but the development will receive tax breaks.
But the focal point will be the stadium.
It seems that NYCFC will finally deliver on the promise of building a soccer-specific stadium within the five boroughs. According to the article, NYCFC began the quest to build a stadium in 2012, “three years before the team played its first game.” At first, games played at Yankee Stadium were seen as a temporary fix — the club planned to share the baseball field for no more than three years. That was eight years ago.
NYCFC have yet to make an official statement regarding the stadium. According to the New York Post, Mayor Eric Adams will make a public statement tomorrow regarding the stadium.
This news comes on the heels of an offhand remark made by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards during a webinar that “we’re going to have some announcements going on with…New York [City] Football Club.”
Perhaps that announcement will come tomorrow.
