Gotham FC, the reigning National Women's Soccer League champion, will relocate its home games to Queens, New York, beginning in 2028. The team announced Tuesday it will play at the under-construction Etihad Park, a 25,000-seat stadium developed by New York City FC near Citi Field.

The move signifies a strategic effort to align the team with world-class facilities and enhance its competitive standing. "We set a vision to be one of the best teams in the world, and to be one of the best teams in the world, you have to play in world-class venues," said Gotham owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett. "It felt like this was the place to elevate our team to the next level."

Etihad Park, slated for completion in 2027, is projected to cost approximately $1 billion and is designed as New York City's first soccer-specific stadium. According to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the venue "matches Gotham FC's standard of excellence."

Gotham FC will begin with a five-year lease at Etihad Park, with options to extend the agreement up to 15 years. The team has played its home games at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, since 2021 and will continue to do so through the 2027 season.

Enhancements and Accessibility

The new stadium offers several upgrades for Gotham FC, including its first dedicated locker room. The stadium's all-digital signage will allow for complete team branding on game days, creating a distinct home-field atmosphere. Enhanced food and beverage options are also planned.

"Our ability to create that kind of atmosphere on game day that gives us a true home-field advantage where other teams hate coming to play against us and we have our crowd packed out all rowdy, I think is really exciting," stated president of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West.

The move is also expected to increase accessibility for a larger fanbase. A team spokesperson noted that the Queens location makes games accessible to an additional 3 million people within a 75-minute public transit commute. Internal data suggests that 60 percent of current season ticket holders and fans will experience the same or less travel time.

"What we hear from our fans over and over is they absolutely love the product, they love the experience and it’s really hard to get to," Tisch Blodgett said. "And that limits them."

Gotham FC averaged 8,892 fans in 2025, ranking eighth among 14 NWSL teams. In the current season, that average is 8,148, placing them 12th out of 16 teams. This figure is anticipated to rise, especially with the upcoming July 15 Queens Classic at Citi Field expected to draw approximately 40,000 attendees.

"Our goal is to fill a game every single week. We should be sold out. That’s what women’s sports deserve," Tisch Blodgett added.

The team also recently announced plans for a new training facility in Whippany, New Jersey. "New Jersey is where this team was born. It’s where our formative years were, and so we have thought a lot about: How do we continue to make this accessible?" Tisch Blodgett said. "We hope as many fans as possible will move with us."

Scheduling and Partnership

The National Women's Soccer League's spring-to-fall season aligns with the team's needs, while Major League Soccer's adoption of a late-summer-to-spring calendar for the 2027-28 season will help mitigate scheduling conflicts between NYCFC and Gotham FC. The partnership between the two clubs, described as a "couple of years in the making" by NYCFC CEO Brad Sims, was officially announced Tuesday.

"They were very, very interested in what we were building from Day 1 and our vision for the stadium," Sims told The Post, "and we were interested in their organization because it's a great organization."