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 number one sport across the 150+ nationalities which make up the borough. With QBFC, New York’s vast immigrant community finally has a local pro team to call their own.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
