New York City announced July 7, 2026 that Gotham FC will make Etihad/Eddiad Park in Queens its permanent home beginning in 2028, to be a shared, soccer-specific stadium with New York City Football Club (NYCFC); the mayor and club leaders described related investments but did not provide a full public-versus-private financing breakdown or any specific revenue‑sharing terms at the press conference. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=902
# What’s happening
– Gotham FC will play home matches at Eddiad/Etihad Park beginning in 2028.
– The stadium will be shared with New York City FC (NYCFC).
– The announcement was made at City Hall by Mayor Mamdani and club officials on July 7, 2026.
# Why it matters
– Fans in Queens and nearby neighborhoods will have local access to professional women’s soccer.
– The city’s public planning and neighborhood impacts depend on undisclosed funding and contracts.
# Key details
– Start date: 2028 season for Gotham FC home matches.
– Location: Willets Point/Queens (site referred to as Eddiad/Etihad Park).
– Shared use: NYCFC and Gotham FC to share the new soccer-specific stadium.
– Ticketing: Gotham FC tickets were announced to start at $24.
– Related investments: NYCFC announced a new training center in New Jersey.
– Officials noted adjacent investments in affordable housing and use of union labor.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gotham FC officials announced in a July 7, 2026 City Hall press conference that Gotham FC will relocate to Eddiad/Etihad Park in Queens and play home matches there starting in 2028. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=902
Gotham FC and New York City Football Club (NYCFC) will share the new, soccer‑specific stadium in Queens, which officials described as the city’s first soccer‑specific stadium. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=1259
The mayor and club leaders described several related investments—NYCFC’s new training center in New Jersey, assurances about union labor on the stadium project, and nearby affordable housing investments—but they did not present a detailed financing breakdown for the stadium at the event. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=1438
Reporters asked about what Queens would receive from the project and whether other Willets Point options remained under consideration; the mayor framed the project around community access, affordable tickets, affordable housing investments, and union labor but did not provide public‑versus‑private dollar amounts or the terms of any city or state contributions. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=1722
Gotham FC officials emphasized the club’s role in bringing top‑level women’s soccer to New York and said ticket prices would begin at $24, but they did not outline capital sources, borrowing, grants, or revenue‑sharing agreements with the city or state during the announcement. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=285
Context from earlier public agency hearings shows how large projects in New York are often financed: earlier City Planning discussion (May 1, 2024) described a common mix of private equity, government grants, and commercial borrowing, and cited example figures used in that project discussion—roughly $50 million in a federal grant and $200–225 million in commercial borrowing—but that discussion concerned a different project and was not presented as the financing plan for Eddiad/Etihad Park. Source (earlier meeting, May 1, 2024): https://youtu.be/JwwOYsjCht4&t=3809
Economic Development Corporation (EDC) hearings and budget testimony in 2025 and 2026 show the city uses EDC and other agencies to support major sports and event projects and has budgeted city funds for World Cup‑related activities; those hearings illustrate the city’s existing practice of combining public resources and agency activation for sports events, but they do not provide a stadium‑specific funding breakdown for Eddiad/Etihad Park. Source (external): https://youtu.be/EUe8BVxapAk&t=540
Questions that remain open after the July 7 announcement include: how much public (city or state) money, if any, will go to construction; whether the city or state will provide grants, tax breaks, or land‑value concessions; whether revenue from ticket surcharges, concessions, or parking will be shared with the city or dedicated to park maintenance; and what lease or operating agreements will govern the shared use between NYCFC and Gotham FC. The July 7 press conference did not provide those documents or figures. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=902
What to watch next: city agencies and EDC typically publish project financing summaries, and any use of parkland or city property can trigger additional land‑use reviews and state action; those formal documents and hearings would be the source of a full public‑versus‑private financing breakdown and any revenue‑sharing or contractual strings. Source (earlier City Planning discussion about parkland alienation and review): https://youtu.be/FdCB1OzaXq4&t=4356
Fact blocks for major actors
Mayor Zohran Mamdani
– Role or jurisdiction: Mayor of New York City.
– Action taken or responsibility: Announced Gotham FC’s move to Eddiad/Etihad Park at the July 7, 2026 press conference.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Announcement made July 7, 2026; Gotham FC home matches to begin at the stadium in 2028. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=902
Gotham FC
– Role or jurisdiction: National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club.
– Action taken or responsibility: Announced as a tenant of Eddiad/Etihad Park starting in 2028.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Tickets announced to begin at $24; club emphasized investment in women’s sports. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=902
New York City Football Club (NYCFC)
– Role or jurisdiction: Major League Soccer (MLS) club owned in part by City stakeholders.
– Action taken or responsibility: Owner/operator of the new stadium facility; will share the stadium with Gotham FC.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Club cited a new training center investment in New Jersey alongside the stadium announcement. Source: https://youtu.be/A5gC5pIe9bU&t=1438
If you want, I can file a public‑records request to the Mayor’s Office, Economic Development Corporation, and NYCFC for the stadium’s financing term sheet, leases, and any state grant applications or legislation referenced in project documents.
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