New York City Football Club (NYCFC) is moving forward with its plan to build a $780 million, privately-financed, state-of-the-art 25,000-seat soccer stadium at Willets Point.
The 2021 Major League Soccer champions have selected HOK as the architect and Turner Construction Company as the general contractor to design and build the city’s first-ever soccer-specific venue across Tom Seaver Way from Citi Field.
“It is clear that HOK and Turner are the right partners to bring our vision of a world-class stadium that is integrated into the local community,” NYCFC CEO Brad Sims said. “Soccer is known around the globe for its incredible in-stadium atmospheres and we are committed to delivering a best-in-class experience for our fans in a stadium that reflects the greatest city in the world.”
HOK’s top projects in the sports world include Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, home to the Atlanta Falcons and MLS Atlanta United, and renovations at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Footprint Center in Phoenix and Rogers Place and the ICE District in Edmonton, Alberta. HOK also designed the new award-winning Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport, which was designed and constructed as one of the largest public-private partnerships in U.S. aviation history.
“We’re honored to work with NYCFC to design New York City’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium for the 2021 MLS champs,” HOK Principal and Senior Project Designer Rashed Singaby said. “The stadium will embody New York City’s dynamism and cultural diversity and will become a vibrant example of urban placemaking. Our design will embrace the multi-faceted identity of Queens, Flushing Meadows, and the site’s historical heritage, offering fans an unprecedented, hospitality-driven game-day experience while integrating into the local community as an everyday asset.”
HOK’s design will position the stadium along the edge of 126th Street. In addition to being the new home of NYCFC, it will also provide a variety of year-round amenities and events. Turner Construction Company has its own dedicated Sports Group that has worked on many of the top sports venues in the world, including Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadow Corona Park and SoFi Stadium.
“We are honored to be part of the team building the new home for NYCFC. The stadium will elevate the experience for this incredible team and their fans,” Turner Vice President and General Manager Charlie Whitney said. “From the very beginning of our involvement, we understood the importance of this project and the positive impact and transformation it will bring to the entire community.”
The new stadium site is across from Citi Field just north of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, creating a world-class destination for sports and entertainment in Queens.
“We look forward to continuing to work in close partnership with HOK and the entire team over the next several years to achieve our common goals, deliver on our commitments, and make this project a reality for NYCFC and New York City.”
Queens Development Group, a joint venture between Related Companies and Sterling Equities will oversee the stadium as well as the Willets Point development that will include 2,500 units of 100% affordable housing, a 250-room hotel, and a 650-seat public elementary school on the 17 acres of city-owned land that were known as the Iron Triangle that was home to scrap yards and auto body shops for decades.
The entire project will enter the city’s Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) later this year and will be reviewed by the city’s Public Design Commission. The NYCFC stadium and development are projected to generate more than 14,200 construction jobs with 1,550 permanent positions upon completion.
“Stadiums are where people come together, and we share a vision with HOK to ensure our stadium becomes a destination of soccer for our fans while playing an important part in the development of Willets Point,” Sims said. “HOK is renowned for designing some of North America’s most successful stadiums, arenas and entertainment districts, and we are looking forward to working with them as we enter the ULURP approval process. Turner is recognized as the leading builder of stadiums, arenas and ballparks — including one dozen Major League Soccer stadiums — that support the communities in which they are built.”
