NYCFC Club Announces Plans for Electric Soccer Stadium

New York City Football Club (NYCFC) has proposed a new soccer stadium in Willets Point, Queens, which would become the first fully electric professional sports stadium in New York City. It looks and sounds amazing!

The 25,000-seat stadium is part of the Willets Point Phase 2 project, which is now entering the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP). The stadium will be privately financed and will include a vast collection of solar panels installed on the stadium roof to maximize energy generation. Built-in efficiency will ensure that intelligent systems eliminate energy waste.

As part of NYCFC’s sustainability plan, the stadium will focus on:

• Renewable energy
• Efficient water systems
• Locally sourced materials
• Public transportation
• Waste reduction
• Reuse and recycling
• Emissions measurement

The stadium will also need to comply with all local laws and regulations in relation to sustainability, including meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and City Football Group’s global sustainability agenda.

The Willets Point development project, in addition to the fully electric stadium, will also deliver:

• 2,500 spacious units of 100% affordable housing
• 650-seat public school
• 40,000 square feet of new public open space
• Modern retail space
• Hotel with 250 rooms

NYCFC is committed to reducing all waste at source and will explore options for on-site composting of waste for local benefit. The Club is also committed to reducing waste that goes to landfill. Through the stadium project, the Club will work proactively with suppliers to ensure that there is a supply chain approach to its sustainability agenda, often working with small, local suppliers to improve and uplift their own related sustainability agendas, therefore improving the local community further.

To reduce environmental impact, the Willets Point stadium project is committed to delivering effective means to reach the stadium through public transportation. NYCFC is building on its relationship with MTA that started nearly a decade ago to continue to ensure accessible and affordable public transport options.

Additionally, the Club will work closely with supporter groups, fans, and local community groups to maximize the benefits of local public commuting, discourage driving to matches, and therefore reduce congestion and pollution.

New York City Football Club’s stadium sustainability plan particularly recognizes the key risks facing our planet, including extreme heat, drought conditions, flooding, fire and smoke pollution, and clean air risks. The Club is committed to building a stadium that serves as a model for projects in the future.

“I’m proud that New York City will be home to the first fully electric sports stadium in Major League Soccer. It’s imperative that we continue our shift to a more sustainable and resilient future, helping New York to better prepare for a changing climate. As a city, we’re reshaping our relationship with energy: how we generate, store and use it. New York City Football Club’s stadium will serve as a model for that goal. New York City has taken significant steps to become more sustainable, resilient and equitable, and this proposed stadium encompasses those commitments.”

– Mayor Adams.

As more professional clubs focus on building their own stadiums, the NYCFC facility will be something they aim towards. A modern design combined with functionality and eco-friendly facilities and processes will be the standard. Kudos to NYCF for proposing such innovative ideas. I’m hoping they are able to pull it off with the backing of the city and state.