BRONX, N.Y. — This year the New York City Football Club gave local soccer fans big bragging rights with their first ever championship victory. Now, it appears, they are on track for another win. This, after Mayor-elect Eric Adams promised to re-open talks to build the club its own stadium.
What You Need To Know
- New York City Football Club won its MLS Championship in 2021
- NYCFC doesn’t have its own stadium, instead they practice and play at other venues
- For years, the city has been trying to negotiate the construction of a new soccer stadium in the South Bronx
- Some residents want to ensure community benefits from NYCFC stadium project if it’s approved
“We are excited that he’s thinking about what to do for the soccer stadium. That he’s having conversations for the soccer stadium, but guess what we are still not included in those conversations,” said Cary Goodman, executive director of the 161st Street Business Improvement District.
Goodman says a world-class soccer stadium just steps from Yankee Stadium would create lots of revenue. He’s worried that not enough of it would be put back into the community, which is one of the poorest in the city and country. He is calling on Adams to include local leaders in any negotiations, to ensure the neighborhood benefits from sponsorships, broadcasts, taxes or any other lucrative deals. It's something he says did not happen when former Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave the green light for the Bronx Bombers to build their new stadium years ago.
“And now here comes that soccer team. What kind of deal do they want to give us?” Goodman asked.
Earlier this year, the plan to break ground in Concourse Village fell through. A spokesman for NYCFC told NY1 they are “committed to working with the local community groups and elected officials to deliver a privately funded, soccer-specific stadium for the Club's fans across the city and beyond.”
They went on to say they are “eager to engage with the new administration and its leadership team to discuss the stadium, and the club is encouraged by the focus on equity, inclusion, and economic development.”
The BID says they’ve held events to welcome the team to the neighborhood when they play at Yankee Stadium but so far, they have not been included in any of the talks.
A spokesman for the mayor-elect says Adams will “take a hard look at the stadium proposal and work with stakeholders to see if we can get to a yes.”
“It’s like unrequited love," said Goodman. "We keep trying to show them how much we care about them but every time we’ve done it, they’ve sort of ignored it."
