New York City FC’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium will be named Etihad Park, the club announced Thursday as part of a 20-year naming rights agreement.
Etihad Park is scheduled to open before the 2027 MLS season. The new stadium will be 100% privately financed, seat approximately 25,000 people, and be the first fully electric sports stadium in New York City and MLS.
Etihad Park will also be part of a new, 23-acre neighborhood at Willets Point, Queens – featuring 2,500 new affordable housing units, a new 650-seat public school, a brand-new hotel, and more than 150,000 square feet of public open space.
“This is a historic announcement for New York City FC, Etihad Airways and New York City. Etihad Airways has been a fantastic partner to the club for over a decade, and we are proud to call Etihad Park the home of our great club,” said Brad Sims, New York City FC’s CEO.
“For over a decade, we’ve been investing in New York with a vision of building the city into one of the soccer capitals of the world. Etihad Airways has been alongside us every step of the way and we’re thrilled to be making this announcement with them. Etihad Park will be the physical evidence of our deep and longstanding investment in New York City and will become a cathedral of soccer in the United States.”
Etihad Airways has partnered with NYCFC since 2014, one year before their MLS expansion season. The airline is also the front-of-shirt partner for NYCFC’s first team and boys academy.
Additionally, Etihad Airways has supported NYCFC’s community work through the club’s nonprofit foundation, City in the Community (CITC). Etihad Airways is one of the primary partners of the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI), a first-of-its-kind $3 million initiative launched in 2016 to create and maintain 50 mini-pitches across the city and expand free soccer programming for the next generation of New Yorkers.
“We are delighted to sponsor the naming rights of this fantastic venue, which I am sure will become a landmark sports destination in the US,” said Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves. “We have been backing New York City FC since the start in 2014 and this marks the latest chapter in our support for the club.”
