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| New York loves futbol. Photo: Aleks V Arts |
Where
does one find a chunk of land in New York City large enough to build
a soccer stadium on? The owners of New York City Football Club are
asking the same question. As the twentieth addition to Major League
Soccer, NYCFC has tremendous commercial potential. Imagine an MLS
team in the largest American city, where the number of soccer fans
skyrocketed after Italy's victory in the 2006 World Cup and continues
to grow as more TV channels broadcast soccer games.
Speculation
on NYCFC's future home has left fans across the city divided in
support of their boroughs. No matter what other locations are
introduced, however, Yankee Stadium is the best option to host NYCFC.
Bronx
Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. voiced his support for bringing
soccer to his borough. Ironically, he backed the building of a new
arena while pointing to the success of soccer games at Yankee
Stadium. Why waste millions when the solution is staring you right in
the face?
The
attendance for baseball at Yankee Stadium was dramatically low this
past spring, averaging below 40,000 fans per game. Ticket sales are
the primary source of revenue for the Yankees, bringing in almost
twice the amount of money as the sales of broadcasting rights. NYCFC
would rectify the Yankees’ revenue woes. No one would have to
resort to lowering ticket prices either!
For
now, Yankee Stadium is only being considered as a temporary home for
the team. Yet there are many advantages of keeping soccer there that
are being overlooked.
Yankee
Stadium is incredibly accessible. Numerous subway lines can transport
the average New Yorker to the arena from anywhere in the city, thanks
to the many transfers available along the way at stations like
Atlantic Avenue.
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| Fans gather for a Soccer Series game. Photo: Aleks V Arts |
The
success of the Soccer Series games at Yankee Stadium underscores the
point further. Each game pitted Europe's biggest teams, like Real
Madrid and AC Milan, against each other. With 40-45,000 fans
attending each game, the stadium picked up enormous revenue not just
from ticket sales, but also from the sales of food, drinks and team
merchandise. If soccer games that are held only twice a year at the
arena can sell out, why shouldn’t a team play here year round?
Skeptics may point to the fact that Real Madrid and AC Milan are
world-famous teams with ready-made fan bases. They're forgetting that
NYCFC's majority owners are Manchester City, one of the biggest (and
wealthiest) franchises in soccer. Besides, as a new team, NYCFC will
need to be advertised and build a following no matter where it’s
playing.
What’s
more, old-time soccer enthusiasts will be swept off their feet with
nostalgia, recalling the days that Yankee Stadium hosted the New York
Cosmos in the 1970's. There's nothing more marketable than a blast
from the city's past.
Still,
the folks behind NYCFC seem more interested in building an all-new,
soccer-specific arena in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. The
park already holds Citi Field, home to the New York Mets, as well as
the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which hosts the US
Open tennis tournament. Avid soccer fans in Queens were thrilled at
the possibility of no longer having to travel to New Jersey to watch
New York's only MLS team, the Red Bulls, and to have a local team of
their own, but what about the rest of us? It's easy to drive there,
but not everyone owns a car.
Besides,
baseball and tennis enthusiasts attending games in Corona Park are
unlikely to jump on the MLS bandwagon. Spending time and money into
coaxing fans of other sports to “convert” to soccer is almost as
laughable as trying to get Miley Cyrus fans to attend Metallica
shows.
Both
the past and present of Yankee Stadium, as well as the current
popularity of soccer in the city show that fans will hand over their
cash as soon as they get the chance. So NYCFC owners, quit stalling.
Time is of the essence. Get out your thinking caps - preferably those
with the Yankees logo - and show us all that two sports can benefit
by pursuing a common goal: the happiness of the investors and the
fans.
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