By Ben Nicholson
September 22 – The upcoming MLS expansion team NYC FC has targeted a new site for its soccer-specific stadium in the parking lot south of the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. Manchester City owned NYC FC will play its inaugural season, 2015, inside The Yankee Stadium – a baseball arena owned by the New York Yankees, who also own a fraction of NYC FC.
NYC FC initially sought to build in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, but were unable to convince the local community of the idea. Switching sights to a garage near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx proved unsuccessful too. Their new area of focus presents many of the same problems as the previous targets, inciting the familiar objections that many prospective soccer enthusiasts and expansion bids have confronted as they try to grow the game in the US.
The obvious issue is that the city of New York is already so highly populated that there is little room to cram in a state of the art soccer stadium. Betty Braton, Community Board Chairwoman, mentioned these concerns in stating, “I don’t think the community is going to be totally supportive. Right now, I’m just trying to figure out where they have a chunk of land for this.”
But even if sufficient space is found, the infrastructure required to deal with match days and tens of thousands of supporters adding to already crowded streets and transportations multiplies the stress on what many New Yorkers believe is an overloaded system.
New York state senator Joseph Addabbo Jr, articulated as much in stating, “I can’t embrace a soccer stadium until we consider all the issues. We as residents of Ozone Park and as an elected official say, ‘Let’s wait a second, we have issues here.’ This is nestled in a residential neighborhood and we’re not sure if this is the best place for a soccer stadium.”
The proposal has a long way to go, as it has to wrangle through a series of public hearing and votes, which have proven the foes of US soccer franchises nationwide in recent months. The de Blasio Administration has offered some encouragement saying it is “committed to working with the City Council and the NYC FC to identify an appropriate site in New York City to host a world class soccer stadium and facility.”
For the moment the watchword is caution with Erich Ulrich, city councilman, saying: “I think it’s a very interesting idea definitely worthy of consideration but it’s a long way until final approval”.
The Aqueduct Racetrack usually holds its racing meets from late October through April, but has seen a decline in popularity from its opening 120 years ago. Rumors emerged in 2007 about the possible closure of the track but it remained open in hope of aiding the local community. In 2011 it became the home to New York’s first legal casino.
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