Queensboro FC (QBFC), an expansion club of the United Soccer League (USL), announced that York College of The City University of New York (CUNY) will be the site of its home games for the inaugural season in Spring 2022. This will be the first ever purpose-built stadium, specifically designed for soccer, by any professional sports team in New York City. The announcement has been a long time coming for many fans, who have been highly anticipating the news and are eager to welcome a home soccer team to Queens. Soccer is the #1 sport across the 150+ nationalities which make up the borough, and you can witness that passion every weekend when thousands of players gather at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, an iconic Queen's destination for local amateur soccer teams and their families. With QBFC, New York's vast immigrant community finally has a local pro team to call their own. With the stadium, they can truly say it's their 'home away from home'.
Pursuant to a Summer 2020 Request for Proposals, CUNY awarded QBFC the contract to construct and operate a stadium on the York College campus to support the university's academic and athletic mission, as well as enhance the college experience for its students, create local jobs, grow neighborhood businesses, and develop the surrounding area of Jamaica, Queens. In addition to hosting QBFC practices and competition play, the stadium will also serve as the venue for York College's commencement, CUNY Athletic Conference tournament games, and other free or ticketed events. Throughout the duration of the partnership, there will be ongoing exchange between university and club, such as the joint development of class curriculum on topics surrounding health, wellness, and sports education, as well as the integration of QBFC front office, coaches, and players as guest speakers. There will also be community initiatives hosted by QBFC and York College, especially related to youth and student development in the form of seminars, clinics, and internships.
Staying true to the club's vision to deliver an innovative and unique fan experience, the 7,500-seat modular stadium will be designed in partnership with Populous, a leading global architecture firm that has created some of the world's best sporting facilities. Special attention has been made to ensure the stadium adheres to the highest standards and best practices of a post-COVID era, with frictionless commerce along with other health, safety, and sanitation protocols. The pitch will be a turf playing surface, which will allow the venue to be a year-round asset for sports, entertainment and community events.
To celebrate this announcement, QBFC has launched The 1909 Club for its fans, named in honor of the Queensborough Bridge, which opened in 1909 and is an integral part of QBFC's crest design. To officially kick-off ticket sales for the 2022 inaugural season, QBFC is offering a limited-time promotion for the first 1,909 people to place a deposit, which grants lifelong membership in the 1909 Club. Fans can place a $25 deposit for the first-rights opportunity to purchase season tickets, up to six seats and choose their seat location in the new stadium. The deposit will apply as a credit towards the total cost of their season ticket plan. Seat selections are made in the order of deposit placement, therefore the club encourages fans to place their orders early by visiting the Queensboro FC website.
"Today is an exciting day for Queensboro FC. The announcement of our home stadium site at York College represents a bold new chapter for professional sports in New York City," says Jonathan Krane, Owner of Queensboro FC. "More importantly, we are proud to deliver our QBFC fans a dedicated soccer specific venue, built by and for the Queens community, bringing us all together to celebrate the beautiful game."
"The City University of New York is proud to partner with Queensboro FC in bringing a professional soccer stadium to York College in Queens, a place world-renowned for its cultural and linguistic diversity, and for its love of el fútbol," said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. "This new stadium is a great addition to the York College campus and will benefit not only CUNY students and the local community, but all New Yorkers and fans of soccer."
"York College is honored to be the host site for Queensboro FC's home stadium," says Berenecea Johnson Eanes, President of York College. "We believe their contributions as a community-led sporting organization will greatly advance our facilities, our campus experience, and our neighborhoods. This project will showcase the importance of private and public sectors coming together, and working together, to celebrate diversity and bridge communities."
"Sports bring people together from all walks of life, to create shared experiences in support of a common cause, and soccer is a passion point that connects New Yorkers with one another," said Congressman Gregory Meeks (NY-05). "Queensboro FC's stadium at York College will bring sustainable, multi-generational benefits to the community, and we believe the club will continue to work hard for the people of Queens. We are proud to have QBFC as the newest professional sports team in New York City."
"Queens is the home for sports. From baseball to tennis, and now we are proud to add soccer to the mix. I am thrilled Queensboro FC will have York College to call home, and can't wait for Queens families to enjoy soccer games once the stadium is completed. Thank you to CUNY, my fellow elected officials and all the partners for making this happen. Can't wait to cheer on our soccer stars here in the World's Borough!" said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr.
"In 2022, Queens will be the epicenter of something positive, fútbol. For a long time, Queens has been the soccer mecca for so many of our communities, taking their passion for this sport to our local spaces like Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Now our very own Queens team, QBFC, will have a home at York College for soccer fans to enjoy their favorite pastime without leaving the borough. Thank you to CUNY and York College for making this stadium a reality. I look forward to joining futbol fans like me to cheer on our Queens team and soccer players," said NYC Council Member Francisco Moya.
"The soccer community in Queens is finally getting what they've always wanted - their own team and their own stadium," says Aly Wagner, former US Women's National Team star and currently part of Queensboro FC ownership group. "We have worked really hard over the past two years to bring QBFC to life, and this stadium represents a huge step forward. It will serve as a physical manifestation, and a leading example, of how to build a modern-day soccer team in an ever-changing world of sports and entertainment."
Images of QBFC stadium renderings can be found here. For more information, please visit: https://www.queensborofc.com/.
ABOUT QUEENSBORO FC
Queensboro FC is the newest professional men's soccer team in Queens, New York. The club will start playing in the 2022 season of the USL Championship, the top tier of the United Soccer League (USL). Queens, often called the "diversity capital of the world", is home to over 2 million residents, 150 nationalities and 130 languages across more than 90 distinct neighborhoods and 100 square miles. With soccer as Queens' most popular sport – Queensboro FC aims to embrace and unite "the world's borough" and honor the beautiful game in the streets, in the parks, in the community – and soon, on the pitch in its own stadium. Queensboro FC stands for more than sports, it is a movement for unifying people across the world. For more information about Queensboro FC visit: www.queensborofc.com.
ABOUT THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY):
The City University of New York is the nation's largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation's first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City's five boroughs, serving 500,000 students of all ages and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY's mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University's graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city's economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city's workforce in every sector. CUNY's graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur "Genius" Grants. The University's historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background.
ABOUT YORK COLLEGE
York College enriches lives and enables students to grow as passionate, engaged learners with the confidence to realize their intellectual and human potential as individuals and global citizens. With more than 50 academic majors, York College attracts students from across the five boroughs of New York City as well as Long Island, Westchester County and internationally. Popular majors include Nursing, Biotechnology, Pre-law, Pre-med. Journalism. Graduate programs include Pharmaceutical Sciences, Physician Assistant Studies, Aviation Business Management and Occupational Therapy, Clinical Trials Management, Aviation, and the Master of Social Work (MSW).
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