Ceremonial start to ‘electri’fying Etihad Park

Article posted by Coliseum, December 11^th, 2024

Image: New York City FC

The New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the New York City Council Member Francisco Moya, the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and the Major League Soccer (MLS) team New York City FC officially broke ground on December 5^th at the Etihad Park, New York’s first professional soccer-specific stadium and Major League Soccer’s (MLS) first fully-electric stadium across the United States.

‘newyorkcityfc.com’ stated that in addition to the stadium – which will be operational by the 2027 MLS season and is being entirely privately-financed by the New York City FC – this project will also deliver retail, food and beverage (F&B) facilities, office space, and ‘City Square’, a plaza for community uses and events.

The Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men’s professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation which represents the sport’s highest level in the United States. The league comprises 30 clubs – 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

The New York City Football Club, sometimes shortened as NYCFC, is an American professional soccer club based in New York City (US). The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The 46,537-capacity Yankee Stadium in New York serves as their home ground.

The 25,000-capacity Etihad Park is a soccer-specific stadium under construction in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens, New York City (US). The stadium is the future home of the New York City FC of Major League Soccer (MLS).

Maintained Marty Edelman, New York City FC Vice-Chairman, “The New York City FC committed 10 years ago to build New York City’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium in the five boroughs and today’s (December 5^th) groundbreaking of the Etihad Park in Willets Point, Queens, brings us one step closer to delivering that promise to our fans and our City.”

‘newyorkcityfc.com’ further stated that the Etihad Park’s groundbreaking comes approximately a decade after the New York City FC was founded. During that time, the club has been committed to growing the sport of soccer across New York City. In addition to winning the MLS Cup in 2021, the club has built more than 50 mini-pitches and provided free soccer programing to thousands of youth through the club’s nonprofit foundation. The construction of Etihad Park will deliver not only a new home for the club’s First Team but also a home for the City in the Community enabling the nonprofit to expand its reach and provide opportunities in soccer to even more youth across the City of New York.

The Etihad Park is one piece of Mayor Adams’ Willets Point transformation which will deliver 2,500 affordable homes – the City’s largest 100 percent affordable new housing project in 40 years – over 40,000 square feet of public open space, a 250-key hotel, a 650-seat public school, and neighborhood-serving, ground-floor retail shops that will create good-paying jobs for the community residents. In December 2023, Mayor Adams and the City officials broke ground on the first 880 units of affordable housing expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The next round of affordable homes to be built as part of Phase 1 is 220 units designated for the low-income seniors.

Added Mayor Adams, “Today (December 5^th), we are breaking ground on Etihad Park – our City’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium – for the New York City FC to call home and finally deliver New Yorkers the soccer stadium they deserve. Along with co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with New Jersey, this stadium puts us on the map as a world-class soccer destination and it makes Willets Point the City’s premier sports hub. This stadium is part of our Willets Point Transformation, building a neighborhood with more housing, public space, and a new school out of the Valley of Ashes. We are scoring the City’s largest all-affordable housing project in the past 40 years, a new 650-seat public school for our students, more than 40,000 square feet of public open space, and good-paying jobs and economic opportunity for the local residents.”

Observed Don Garber, MLS Commissioner, “This is a historic moment for the New York City FC, the Major League Soccer (MLS) and everyone who has believed in the promise of soccer in America. We’ve always known that a world-class soccer stadium belongs in New York City. Congratulations and thanks to Mayor Adams, Councilman Moya, Borough President Richards, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the club ownership, staff, players, and fans of the New York City FC on making Etihad Park a reality.”

Averred Andrew Kimball, President and head honcho, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), “The Etihad Park is the world-class soccer stadium that Queens and New York City have long deserved. By building this fully-electric facility entirely privately- financed this Etihad Park helps us achieve our climate goals without burdening the taxpaying New Yorkers. This stadium is just one part of the historic transformation underway in Willets Point, transforming the ‘Valley of Ashes’ into a brand-new neighborhood that was only achieved through the public and private sector working together to deliver one of the most ambitious developments in the United States.”

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is a public-benefit corporation that serves as the official economic development organization for New York City. The NYCEDC gives its mission as strengthening business confidence in New York City, diversifying the City’s economic sectors and delivering sustainable infrastructure.

Remarked Rashed Singaby, Principal and Senior Project Designer at HOK, “Driven by New York City FC’s vision and ambitions, the new stadium will be an unequivocal celebration of diversity, community and soccer. We are proud to celebrate this important milestone with the team, the City and our project partners and look forward to seeing the stadium come to life as a centerpiece for the vibrant Queens community and a benchmark venue for the beautiful game.”

New York (US)-based HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm. HOK is a collective of future-forward thinkers and designers who are driven to face the critical challenges of our time. They are dedicated to improving people’s lives, serving our clients and healing the planet. Together, we cultivate a culture of design excellence at the confluence of art and science, blending the power of creative expression with a clear sense of purpose.

Stated Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Etihad Airways, “Today (December 5^th) marks a significant and transformative milestone for the New York City FC and Etihad Airways. The new Etihad Park represents more than just a stadium – it’s a testament to our decades-long commitment to this City, to the game of soccer and to building vibrant communities in the destinations we serve. It is our privilege and honor to be a part of this groundbreaking moment.”

This historic plan will bring significant long-term economic opportunity to a community that has long been underserved. The entire transformational project is expected to generate $6.1 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years creating 1,550 permanent jobs and 14,200 construction jobs.

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