{"id":291562,"date":"2026-07-09T17:24:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/291562\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T17:24:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T17:24:55","slug":"gotham-fc-announces-move-to-queens-etihad-stadium-in-2028","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/291562\/","title":{"rendered":"Gotham FC announces move to Queens\u2019 Etihad Stadium in 2028"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The GIST: The NWSL\u2019s Gotham FC made a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/07\/nyregion\/gotham-fc-etihad-park-queens.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">huge announcement<\/a> this week: In 2028, the team will move from New Jersey\u2019s Sports Illustrated Stadium to Etihad Park, the massive, all-electric stadium being built in Flushing, Queens.<\/p>\n<p>This means Gotham will call NYC home for the first time in club history, and we know just how important accessibility from major cities is to driving organic growth and fandom. Goals.<\/p>\n<p>The details: After a decade-long battle, MLS club NYCFC was finally awarded land in Queens to build NYC\u2019s first soccer-specific stadium next to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gothamfc.com\/schedule\/washington-spirit-2026-07-16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">Citi Field<\/a>, where it will boast a capacity of 25K. Gotham\u2019s initial lease is for five years, but there are options to extend to up to 15 years.<\/p>\n<p>The digs seem swanky \u2014 a major selling point in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gothamfc.com\/news\/gotham-fc-new-york-city-fc-announce-gotham-fcs-historic-move-to-new-york-to-play-at-etihad-park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">Gotham\u2019s press release<\/a>. The stadium will have luxury suites and three distinct fan clubs, including the Tunnel Club, a seated dining area steps away from player tunnels. Plus, Gotham players will have their own dedicated locker room and merch in the stadium\u2019s store.<\/p>\n<p>The why: While some NJ fans <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JeffKassouf\/status\/2074472971876303049?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow\">feel left behind<\/a>, the stadium will be more accessible for NYC and Connecticut residents. Former Gotham star Ali Krieger said she\u2019s heard over the years that the current stadium is hard for NYC fans to reach, while Etihad will offer easier public transport options.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s not forget: The majority of New Yorkers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/opinion\/articles\/2025-09-24\/new-york-isn-t-the-only-place-you-don-t-need-a-car\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">don\u2019t own a car<\/a>, so getting to NJ hasn\u2019t been easy. And the commute to Etihad will be shorter for many: Around 3M more people will live within commuting distance of the stadium.<\/p>\n<p>The effect: Location, location, location seems to be a mantra for fan engagement, too. In under 24 hours, Gotham said over 1K fans had already signed on as season ticket holders at Etihad Stadium \u2014 and they have a $28 ticket deposit sale that could encourage more interest.<\/p>\n<p>Players, sponsors, and fans are all invested in giving athletes better resources. It motivates athletes to sign, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/football\/2026\/jun\/19\/mary-earps-london-city-lionesses-signing-interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">new London City Lioness Mary Earps<\/a> or returning Gotham superstar Sam Kerr, who\u2019s coming back to an entirely different environment after nine years away from the team. Brands also benefit from more eyeballs and foot traffic. We know Etihad is already signed on, but only time will tell who else joins the club. Gotta get a foot in the door.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The GIST: The NWSL\u2019s Gotham FC made a huge announcement this week: In 2028, the team will move&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-291562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}