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Gotham FC will play its home games at Etihad Park in Queens, New York, beginning in 2028. The National Women’s Soccer League club and Major League Soccer’s New York City FC announced the move Tuesday, after months of speculation.
The $780 million, 25,000-capacity stadium, which will primarily be NYCFC’s home stadium, is set to open in the spring of 2027, aligning with the new MLS fall-to-spring calendar structure. The NWSL club will move in the following spring.
Gotham’s move to Queens felt inevitable for the two-time NWSL champions, which have enjoyed historic investment in recent years. The club recently announced plans for their first training facility in Whippany, New Jersey. Next week, the team will play in the inaugural Queens Classic against the Washington Spirit at Citi Field, home of MLB’s Mets, which is on track to break the record for the city’s most-attended women’s sporting event.
“From day one, our ambition has been bigger than championships,” Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Gotham’s governor and lead owner, said in a statement. “We are building one of the world’s most iconic clubs and helping define the future of women’s sports. Our move to Etihad Park reflects that ambition, and we are deeply grateful to New York City FC for their vision and commitment to helping make this historic moment possible.”
Gotham has fully embraced its ties to New York City this season. The team recently dropped the “NJ/NY” from its name, and its third kit now prominently features orange and blue, the colors of the city’s flag, as well as a giant image of the Statue of Liberty.
Moving to Queens means relocating roughly 32 miles east of Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ, where the team has played since 2020. The team moved to the then-Red Bull Arena after a decade at Yurcak Field at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The move to Harrison was a welcomed one because the venue was more readily accessible to fans in the greater New York area. It also meant the team would finally be playing in a stadium befitting of a professional women’s team, with its 25,000-capacity and professional resources. While the team has found success on the pitch in recent years, including their first continental title and two NWSL championships in three seasons, the team has struggled to regularly fill the stadium. Gotham is also not the primary tenant at SI Stadium, which offers its own unique challenges.
The move to Etihad Park seems like an obvious step up once more, with Gotham moving into a state-of-the-art facility that has promised to be the Cathedral of Soccer in New York City.
“Moving into Etihad Park is a defining moment for this organization. Our players compete at the highest level in the world every single time they step on the pitch, and our matchday will reflect that standard,” Yael Averbuch West, Gotham’s president of soccer operations, said in a statement. “Access to dedicated facilities, permanent infrastructure and a modern stadium built for soccer in the world’s most famous city creates the environment our players need to sustain and build on their excellent on-field performance.”
The stadium sits across the street from Citi Field and will be part of a new neighborhood that is readily accessible by public transit via buses, the New York City subway and Long Island Rail Road. The club estimates that this move will connect Gotham to more than three million additional fans within a 75-minute commute of the new venue. It will also, however, be a hike for longtime fans in New Jersey.
Etihad Park has been more than a decade in the making, with NYCFC splitting their time across various temporary venues in the Tri-State area since their founding in 2013. Most recently, that meant splitting their seasons between Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and Citi Field in Queens. At times, the team even had to play at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, home to their rivals, the New York Red Bulls. As construction at Etihad Park broke ground and the stadium slowly rose from the ashes of Willets Point, NYCFC never shied away from its own ambitions of one day housing a professional women’s team at the venue.
“We set out to create a venue that would bring the world’s game to the world’s borough and showcase soccer at the highest level, including women’s soccer,” Marty Edelman, NYCFC’s Co-Vice Chairman, said in a statement. “Welcoming Gotham FC to Etihad Park is an important step in delivering on that promise and building a world-class home for the game in New York City.”
Etihad Park is the first soccer-specific stadium built in New York City and will feature custom spaces for Gotham, the two clubs said. The team will have its own locker room, and the all-electric stadium promises to create a match day experience that is “unmistakably and exclusively Gotham FC’s own,” the clubs said.
“New York City FC and Gotham FC share a belief in what soccer can mean to this city, and with Gotham FC making their home alongside us in what will be a truly world-class soccer stadium in Queens, we have an extraordinary platform to help shape the future of the game in New York City together,” said Brad Sims, NYCFC’s CEO, in a statement.
“Etihad Park will be a place where the world’s game comes to life in the world’s city for our players, our supporters, our communities, and the next generation of fans. We are proud to call Gotham FC our partner and excited for the future we will build together.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
New York City FC, Gotham FC, MLS, NWSL, Women's Soccer
2026 The Athletic Media Company
Continue reading...
The $780 million, 25,000-capacity stadium, which will primarily be NYCFC’s home stadium, is set to open in the spring of 2027, aligning with the new MLS fall-to-spring calendar structure. The NWSL club will move in the following spring.
Gotham’s move to Queens felt inevitable for the two-time NWSL champions, which have enjoyed historic investment in recent years. The club recently announced plans for their first training facility in Whippany, New Jersey. Next week, the team will play in the inaugural Queens Classic against the Washington Spirit at Citi Field, home of MLB’s Mets, which is on track to break the record for the city’s most-attended women’s sporting event.
“From day one, our ambition has been bigger than championships,” Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Gotham’s governor and lead owner, said in a statement. “We are building one of the world’s most iconic clubs and helping define the future of women’s sports. Our move to Etihad Park reflects that ambition, and we are deeply grateful to New York City FC for their vision and commitment to helping make this historic moment possible.”
Gotham has fully embraced its ties to New York City this season. The team recently dropped the “NJ/NY” from its name, and its third kit now prominently features orange and blue, the colors of the city’s flag, as well as a giant image of the Statue of Liberty.
Moving to Queens means relocating roughly 32 miles east of Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ, where the team has played since 2020. The team moved to the then-Red Bull Arena after a decade at Yurcak Field at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The move to Harrison was a welcomed one because the venue was more readily accessible to fans in the greater New York area. It also meant the team would finally be playing in a stadium befitting of a professional women’s team, with its 25,000-capacity and professional resources. While the team has found success on the pitch in recent years, including their first continental title and two NWSL championships in three seasons, the team has struggled to regularly fill the stadium. Gotham is also not the primary tenant at SI Stadium, which offers its own unique challenges.
The move to Etihad Park seems like an obvious step up once more, with Gotham moving into a state-of-the-art facility that has promised to be the Cathedral of Soccer in New York City.
“Moving into Etihad Park is a defining moment for this organization. Our players compete at the highest level in the world every single time they step on the pitch, and our matchday will reflect that standard,” Yael Averbuch West, Gotham’s president of soccer operations, said in a statement. “Access to dedicated facilities, permanent infrastructure and a modern stadium built for soccer in the world’s most famous city creates the environment our players need to sustain and build on their excellent on-field performance.”
The stadium sits across the street from Citi Field and will be part of a new neighborhood that is readily accessible by public transit via buses, the New York City subway and Long Island Rail Road. The club estimates that this move will connect Gotham to more than three million additional fans within a 75-minute commute of the new venue. It will also, however, be a hike for longtime fans in New Jersey.
Etihad Park has been more than a decade in the making, with NYCFC splitting their time across various temporary venues in the Tri-State area since their founding in 2013. Most recently, that meant splitting their seasons between Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and Citi Field in Queens. At times, the team even had to play at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, home to their rivals, the New York Red Bulls. As construction at Etihad Park broke ground and the stadium slowly rose from the ashes of Willets Point, NYCFC never shied away from its own ambitions of one day housing a professional women’s team at the venue.
“We set out to create a venue that would bring the world’s game to the world’s borough and showcase soccer at the highest level, including women’s soccer,” Marty Edelman, NYCFC’s Co-Vice Chairman, said in a statement. “Welcoming Gotham FC to Etihad Park is an important step in delivering on that promise and building a world-class home for the game in New York City.”
Etihad Park is the first soccer-specific stadium built in New York City and will feature custom spaces for Gotham, the two clubs said. The team will have its own locker room, and the all-electric stadium promises to create a match day experience that is “unmistakably and exclusively Gotham FC’s own,” the clubs said.
“New York City FC and Gotham FC share a belief in what soccer can mean to this city, and with Gotham FC making their home alongside us in what will be a truly world-class soccer stadium in Queens, we have an extraordinary platform to help shape the future of the game in New York City together,” said Brad Sims, NYCFC’s CEO, in a statement.
“Etihad Park will be a place where the world’s game comes to life in the world’s city for our players, our supporters, our communities, and the next generation of fans. We are proud to call Gotham FC our partner and excited for the future we will build together.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
New York City FC, Gotham FC, MLS, NWSL, Women's Soccer
2026 The Athletic Media Company
Continue reading...
