How a Stadium Could Redefine NYCFC's Legacy

NYCFC fans could only imagine...

An Artist's Rendering of a Scrapped NYCFC Stadium Proposal

Right now, NYCFC have just about everything an MLS club could ask for. They just won MLS Cup, they are in poll position to make a DEEP run in Concacaf Champions league, they have a well-balanced squad mixed with both young talent and valuable experience, and they have a passionate fanbase that their ownership group is willing to invest in. The only problem? They’re still homeless.

The Boys in Blue have played home matches at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, Red Bull Arena in Harrison NJ, Citi Field in Queens, Pratt and Whitney Stadium in East Hartford CT, and even at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles…and yes I’m still talking about home games for New York City FC.

NYCFC's Taty Castellanos Playing in a "Home" Match in a near-empty Banc of California Stadium

Since the club’s founding in 2013, there have been various plans and promises to build a stadium of their own, ranging from Pier 40 in Manhattan, to Flushing Meadows in Queens, to their most recent plans in the Bronx near their current venue of Yankee Stadium. But, as you can probably guess, none of these proposals have resulted in a place to call home. And currently, there are no plans for a stadium that have been announced.

But, it’s somewhat understandable why the club has been unable to build a home for themselves. Thankfully, the club has always been committed to building its forever home within the 5 boroughs. And, while that’s HUGE for the fans, it presents a difficult obstacle to overcome…the fact that it’s New York City. I mean, where do you even put something like that here? Given how much my rent is, I can only imagine how expensive a STADIUM’S worth of land would cost in the Big Apple.

And, there’s so much more required than just the physical space and a Saudi bank account needed for a project like this. It needs to be accessible by public transportation, but also needs to be somewhere with enough parking for those from out of town. And, it needs to be somewhere that the local residents are actually okay with having a stadium. This in itself is a huge challenge, but understandably so. It seems like most people want a soccer stadium somewhere in the city, but does anyone really want a stadium in their own backyard?

Then add in local politics, a global pandemic, and a complex ownership situation with NYCFC’s current landlord, The New York Yankees, and now you have multiple new layers of tedious bureaucracy for this stadium deal to contend with.

South Bronx Neighborhood and Once-Proposed Site of New Stadium

But with all of that said…this club was founded like NINE years ago. We have seen a whole host of expansion teams come in and build gorgeous new stadiums for themselves to call home since The Pigeons’ inaugural season. Most of them have been able to achieve this within their first year or so of existence. And that doesn’t sit well with the NYCFC faithful by any means. The supporters want the stadium that they, as a loyal and passionate MLS fanbase, rightfully deserve.

And, it seems like City fans have begun to lose their patience as these stadium issues have continued. Attendance has declined steadily since their inaugural season in 2015. And “home” matches played at Red Bull Arena have been boycotted by some fans to demonstrate their dismay towards the ownership’s decision to host matches in their biggest rival’s stadium.

As all of this has dragged on over years and years, the perception of NYCFC to the rest of the league, and even the rest of the footballing world, has really been damaged. Playing in a baseball stadium with a tiny pitch and horrible sight lines has been heavily criticized, mocked, and meme’d by seemingly anyone who’s ever watched a match at the awkward place that NYCFC have tentatively called home. And until there’s a deal announced for a permanent, soccer-specific stadium for them, NYCFC will always be thought of as “the team with no home stadium.”

NYCFC's Awkward Setup at Yankee Stadium

So, where does that leave us? Is it okay for not have a stadium? From an ownership perspective, the answer is likely somewhere along the lines of, “for now…”. In the club’s first seven seasons playing in Yankee stadium, they have remained both a valuable financial asset from an organizational perspective, and a successful team on the field. But, the ownership should be as aware as anyone that the fans patience will continue to wear thinner and thinner.

Yes, I expect there to be more fans in attendance this coming season after winning MLS Cup last year, but that’s only a temporary boost. If there is to be a sustained fan presence and atmosphere that we see for clubs like Seattle, Portland, Kansas City, and Atlanta, then the club will need to give their supporters the platform they need to achieve this: a home stadium.