LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) — Get ready to cheer for the newest professional sports team in New York. The action on the soccer field is about to get a lot bigger on Long Island. The new team and stadium will call the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale home. The Island F.C. will play in Major […]
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) — Get ready to cheer for the newest professional sports team in New York.
The action on the soccer field is about to get a lot bigger on Long Island.
The new team and stadium will call the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale home.
The Island F.C. will play in Major League Soccer’s Next Pro League beginning in 2027.
The facility will be built with private dollars next to the existing training location and network of fields.
Fans and supporters gathered across the street and inside the auditorium at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City on Tuesday.
Fan and student league player Atticus Yang is looking forward to home games. “I won’t have to travel far. We can go here and watch a game,” he said.
Parker Donohue is also a student player ready for the challenge of professional soccer. “It will be awesome with the World Cup coming up; there will be intensity and excitement,” he said.
The elected county executives for Suffolk and Nassau counties celebrate scoring a major goal and creating another destination point for Long Island.
Soccer has a big fan base on the island with well-known student and adult leagues.
Ali Curtis is a former player and president of MLS Next Pro. “If you play the game, if you love the game, if you want to work, it’s all here. This is the perfect moment for a new chapter,” Curtis said.
The Rechler family, known for real estate on Long Island, is making a $25 million investment to finance the team and stadium. It is being designed to seat 2,500 people with room to expand to 5,000 seats.
Community leaders look for a big public benefit for the local businesses.
“When you have thousands of fans coming, it’ll be great for brick and mortar, shopping, and tourism,” said Kyle Steiner with the Association for a Better Long Island.
The sport has taken root in the region.
Met Life Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey, will host World Cup matches (including the final) in the summer of 2026.
NYC F.C. plays at Yankee Stadium and is building a new facility in Queens next to Citi Field. The Red Bulls play in Harrison, NJ.
MLS Next Pro League was founded in 2022 and has more than two dozen teams.
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Category: General Sports
