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Poll: South Bronx Residents Favor Potential NYCFC Stadium

New York City FC

There signs of support for a new New York City FC stadium in South Bronx, with a poll from 161st St. Business Improvement District showing that many residents have a favorable reaction to the idea.

NYCFC has spent years searching for a new stadium site, as the club is seeking to construct a soccer-specific facility to replace Yankee Stadium. The organization has yet to announce where it could build a new stadium and is still exploring its options, but one potential location that has been rumored is blocks away from Yankee Stadium, at a site near 153rd St.

Early signs point to there being some level of support for the idea as, according to a poll released Wednesday by the 161st St. Business Improvement District, almost two-thirds of those surveyed indicate a stadium is “in general, a good idea.” More from the New York Daily News:

Nearly two-thirds of those polled said a new soccer arena in the Bronx is “in general, a good idea,” according to the 161st St. Business Improvement District.

“We wanted to hear from the community before a stadium plan is introduced,” 161st St. BID executive director Cary Goodman said. “The results show the importance of including local opinions.”

The New York City Football Club, a Major League Soccer franchise owned in part by the Yankees and a billionaire from Abu Dhabi, has been seeking a permanent home since it formed in 2013 — and playing most of its home games at Yankee Stadium.

Constant rumors have been kicked around the team’s original goal to build on a site near 153rd St., just blocks from Yankee Stadium and currently the home to the GAL Manufacturing factory, but other possibilities have been floated.

NYCFC has played at Yankee Stadium since its inaugural MLS campaign in 2015, but the venue has always been intended to be a stopgap until the club can a secure a new soccer-specific stadium. Along with creating more optimal conditions for MLS, a new stadium would alleviate a lot of the scheduling issues NCYFC deals with at Yankee Stadium. Those scheduling challenges came into play this week, as NYCFC’s Wednesday playoff match against Toronto FC was shifted to the New York Mets’ Citi Field because of the Yankees’ run in the Major League Baseball playoffs. (The Yankees were eliminated from the postseason by the Houston Astros over the weekend, while NYCFC lost to Toronto on Wednesday.)

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