New York City FC (NYCFC) is still searching for a new stadium site, according to club president Jon Patricof.
Over the last several years, there has been considerable speculation about the future facility solution for NYCFC. The club has staged home matches at Yankee Stadium since beginning MLS play in 2015, but it has always been expected that NYCFC will eventually construct its own soccer-specific stadium.
Several proposals for a new stadium have come and gone over the years. More recently, NYCFC was reported to be linked to a larger Harlem River Yards development concept. Under that concept, the club would collaborate with Related Companies and Somerset Partners for a development along the South Bronx waterfront that includes a 26,000-seat soccer-specific venue. This week, Patricof confirmed that the parties submitted a plan about the development, but stated that it “is not an active site.” More from ESPN:
Speaking to reporters on the occasion of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the team’s new training facility in Orangeburg, N.Y., Patricof said that he feels like NYCFC “continues to make good progress” on finding a stadium site, but indicated the club is focusing its efforts on locations other than Harlem River Yards.
“We submitted something to the State [of New York] as part of a request for expressions of interest,” said Patricof about the Harlem River Yards site. “But that’s it. That site is not an active site.”
As for the sites that Patricof considers “active” he declined to give details.
“Each one is complicated, but we’re committed to the five boroughs, public access to transportation, and the answer is there are sites out there and that we feel confident we’ll be able to secure one of them and develop it.”
NYCFC is expected to continue playing at Yankee Stadium until a new stadium is secured.
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