MLS’s Growth Served on a Plate as New York City FC Unveils First Look of Game-Changing $780 Million Stadium

New York will finally get its first soccer-specific stadium by 2027. MLS franchise, New York City FC, based in the city, has recently released glimpses of the soccer stadium. NYCFC is owned by City Group, which also owns the Premier League giants Manchester City.

The MLS club was established in 2013 when City Group got the rights for the expansion club. NYCFC started playing in the MLS in 2015. However, the club doesn’t have its own soccer stadium and plays its home games elsewhere. NYCFC fans will have to wait another four years to have their stadium.

NYCFC to get its stadium by 2027

The City Group-owned club started its MLS journey in 2015. It has been nine seasons now, and the club is playing its home games mostly at the NY Yankees stadium. The MLS franchise has also played at Citi Field, Red Bull Arena, and even as far afield as BMO Stadium in California. Meanwhile, they will have to wait until the 2027 MLS season, when their new 25,000-seater and $780 million stadium will be ready.

Moreover, it will be the first massive stadium in the city that will be dedicated to soccer only. According to the club, the project includes 40,000 square feet of public open space, a school, a hotel, and ground-floor retail shops to the Willets Point neighborhood, apart from the 25,000-seater stadium. Developers are also planning 2,500 units of affordable homes to boost the economic activity of the city. 

Willets Point is also home to New York Mets’ Citi Field. The NYCFC stadium will be across the road from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It will be a crucial addition to New York City. The plans for the stadium were announced in November last year. Meanwhile, the stadium will be a privately financed project, and developers are confident to make it ready before the 2027 MLS season starts.

Is MLS on the rise?

The 2022 season saw the league breaking its 2019 attendance records. In 2019, the total attendance was around 8.6 million. It crossed 10 million in 2022. The expectations are it will grow more this season. But what has attracted the eyes of many is the recent list of most valuable soccer clubs in the world. 

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Three MLS clubs made it to the top 20. The Los Angeles FC is 16th on the list, with a valuation of $900 million. It is followed by the LA Galaxy on the 17th, with a valuation of $865 million. The third club from MLS, Atlanta United, is in 18th position and has a valuation of $855 million. MLS also signed a $2.5 billion TV deal with Apple for ten years. It will be intriguing to see how MLS grows in the future. 

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