NYCFC Releases New Willets Point Soccer Stadium Renderings
New renderings were released last week for the 24,851-seat stadium that will be the home of Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club (NYCFC). Located at 126-87 Willets Point Boulevard, the stadium designed by HOK “would be the first fully electric stadium in New York City and in MLS history. It has been announced that under a $20 million, 20-year naming rights agreement, the stadium that is expected to be built with 100% private financing and open before the 2027 MLS season will bear the name Etihad Park after the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, which has partnered with NYCFC since 2014. The stadium will serve as the centerpiece of the redevelopment of Willets Point which spreads across 23-acres bound by 127th and 35th Avenue to the northeast and northwest and Willets Point Boulevard and Seaver Way to the southeast and southwest. Proposed plans for the site also include the construction of a 650-seat public school, a hotel, and more than 150,000 square feet of public open space.