Stadium at Willets Point? Queens Borough President says announcement is coming
Stadium news high alert? Donovan Richards Jr. says of the redevelopment of Willets Point that "we’re going to have some announcements going on with...New York [City] Football Club."
Screenshot from the webinar on which the Queens BP dropped a big NYCFC stadium hint.
Could New York City FC’s existence-long search for a permanent home be close to an end? Teasing comments made by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards make it seem like an announcement of a soccer specific stadium for NYCFC at Willets Point is imminent.
While speaking earlier today in a webinar titled “The Future of New York: The Economic Impact of Queens,” Richards was asked about what he envisions Queens looking like in 10 years time. The Borough President replied, “If you like soccer, the redevelopment of Willets Point…we’re going to have some announcements on with New York [City] Football Club.”
You can watch the clip of Richards’ NYCFC stadium statement below.
Here's the clip of Queens BP Donovan Richards mentioning a forthcoming announcement related to @NYCFC and Willets Point redevelopment https://t.co/MmaGDHNgiL
This comes not long after City Football Group CEO Ferran Soriano similarly hinted at an approaching announcement of NYCFC stadium plans, so we might truly be entering “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” territory as it pertains to a stadium announcement.
Ferran Soriano, CEO of City Football Group (owns NYCFC), says "we are very close to announcing where we are going to build a stadium" for NYCFC.
Soriano says he's hopeful the team will be able to announce an update by the end of 2022. #SBJWCOS
— New York City FC Associate Partnership (@NYCFCAP) November 3, 2022
Rumors on the stadium front have largely died down since they perked up a bit during the summer, which saw The Outfield report that NYCFC had showed renewed interest in building at Harlem River Yards, a 28-acre site in the South Bronx. That was followed not long after by rumors of NYCFC moving into Randall’s Island’s Icahn Stadium, though it’s been radio silence on both Harlem River Yards and Randall’s Island since those summer reports.
This brief statement from the Queens Borough President is obviously not iron-clad confirmation of a final plan, but it is the latest in a string of hints that seem to have brought us as close as we’ve ever been to the announcement of NYCFC stadium plans.
You can watch the full webinar here:
NYCFC will continue to play home matches at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field during the 14-game sprint season held in early 2027 before debuting at Etihad Park sometime in July.
The new Willets Point, Queens stadium will host early-round Olympic matches as part of a cross-country approach to staging the soccer tournament of the 2028 Los Angeles games.
Billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen's $8 billion Metropolitan Park development in Willets Point is on the verge of receiving one of three new casino licenses in New York City after receiving its latest approval.
Tayvon Gray is your Player of the Match for his clutch goal — it's just the third time he earned the honor since we started publishing player ratings in 2023.
The Brazilian international contributed three goals and three assists in Gotham FC's title-winning 2025 season; the Bats will get $175,000 in intraleague transfer funds for the forward.
Gotham send 30-year-old Brazilian forward to San Diego Wave for $175,000, and 24-year-old midfielder and Danish international Josefine Hasbo to Boston Legacy FC for $50,000.
It took them until nearly the final kick of the game, but New York City earned a 2-1 win over Philadelphia Union thanks to a 99th-minute header from Tayvon Gray.
