Etihad lands NYCFC stadium naming rights

Image: New York City FC

New York City FC’s new stadium project has taken a leap forward after airline Etihad stepped forward as a naming rights partner.

Football Ground Guide said that Etihad Park will be ready for the 2027 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

It will be the first purpose-built football stadium in New York, constructed in Willets Point in the Queens borough.

New York City Football Club, also known as New York City FC and shortened as NYCFC, is an American professional soccer club based in New York City (US). The club competes in MLS as a member of the Eastern Conference.

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 of the game in the United States.

The league comprises 29 teams – 26 in the United States and 3 in Canada – since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

Image: New York City FC

The 25,000-capacity New York City FC Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium being built in Willets Point in the New York City borough of Queens (US) for the New York City FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), who currently play their home games at Yankee Stadium.

The new stadium, designed by HOK (American design, architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm), is made to fit in a narrow, jagged footprint within the larger Willets Point Project site.

It features a rectangular-shaped structure with the Southeast corner cut off by the existing Willets Point Boulevard and the Northwest corner framed to match.

Etihad has been involved with the club for over a decade and is the title sponsor of NYCFC’s sister club, Manchester City.

The new Etihad Park stadium is being built on a new 23-acre neighbourhood which will also include 2,500 new housing units, a new public school, a hotel, and 150,000 square feet of public open space.

Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad Airways CEO, said, “We are delighted to sponsor the naming rights of this fantastic venue, which I am sure will become a landmark sports destination in the US. We have supported New York City FC since its start in 2014, and this marks the latest chapter in our support for the Club.”

This is big news for New York City FC, which will now take the next step in its development as a club after joining the MLS in 2015.

Brad Smith, New York City FC CEO added, “For over a decade, we’ve been investing in New York with a vision of building the city into one of the soccer capitals of the world. Etihad Airways has been alongside us every step of the way and we’re thrilled to be making this announcement with them.

“Etihad Park will be the physical evidence of our deep and longstanding investment in New York City and will become a cathedral of soccer in the United States.”

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