Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, my friends. It is a pleasure to be here in the Rotunda alongside so many friends, athletes and fellow New Yorkers as we make an incredibly exciting announcement, one that will make clear what so many fans of the beautiful game already know — New York City is a “footy town.” Before I get into today's announcement, I want to acknowledge last night’s result; to the U.S. Men's National Team, you have made our nation proud. You have brought the people's game to life. You have bought it to those in Seattle and Staten Island, Kansas City and Queens, Bakersfield and Brooklyn. Thank you for playing with such tenacity and creativity and love for the beautiful game. We look forward to seeing you compete on the world stage over the years to come.
Now, I wanna also acknowledge that I'm standing here alongside leaders at every level of government. We have our governor, Kathy Hochul, who is here with us. We have our Queens borough president, Donovan Richards, who is here with us. We have our Council member, Shanel Thomas-Henry, who is here with us. As well as the club governor of Gotham FC, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, who is here with us; Brad Sims, the CEO of NYCFC; and Yael Averbuch-West, the general manager and head of soccer operations of Gotham FC. And I want to also acknowledge our president and CEO of NYC Tourism, Julie Coker, as well as Ali Krieger, the U.S. Women's National Team World Cup winner and former Gotham player. As well as so many others who made this moment possible.
Now, if there is one thing that American soccer players have done year after year, generation after generation, it is to change the game. And I am talking about the women of Gotham FC. Ali Krieger changed the game when she led the defense that won the 2015 World Cup with five straight clean sheets. Kelley O’Hara changed the game — and what the modern game expects from a wingback — when she delivered assist after assist to help the U.S. win the World Cup again in 2019. And Carli Lloyd changed the way the world sees American soccer when she became the first player to score in six consecutive World Cup matches. The women of Gotham FC have changed the game at the World Cup, they've changed the Olympics and they brought home trophy after trophy. They have won matches when everyone told them that they would lose. They have beat players [that] everyone told them that they were better [than]. And they have played the kind of world-class soccer that people have told us we could only expect in London or Rio de Janeiro. It is high time that Gotham FC has a world-class, soccer-specific stadium where they can play that world-class soccer right here in the city that they represent. And that is exactly what we are so excited to announce today.
Beginning in 2028, Gotham FC, the reigning National Women's Soccer League champions, will join NYCFC in making Queens their permanent home. Their new stadium, Etihad Park, the first dedicated soccer stadium anywhere in the five boroughs, matches Gotham FC's standard of excellence. The 25,000-seat stadium, the first all-electric professional sports stadium in New York City, is proudly being constructed entirely by union labor. It will feature a permanent locker room for Gotham FC athletes, and it will put 3 million people within a 75-minute public transit ride from the beautiful game.
Our administration has worked hard to make sure that the summer of soccer is one that everyone can take part in. We've secured affordable tickets for New Yorkers to attend Gotham FC matches and World Cup games. We've opened up soccer fields for people to play on all night long and closed-down city streets so that New Yorkers can practice their skills. Today's announcement builds on the work we have already done to make soccer more accessible and affordable for all New Yorkers. And it is an investment in our young female athletes, who are too often overlooked. Instead of begging their parents to have to take them to New Jersey, girls growing up in Jackson Heights, Sunnyside and Flushing will now be able to get on the 7 train after school and watch some of the greatest soccer players in the world go to work.
And they will be able to go to a game for a price their families can afford. Tickets to a Gotham FC game begin at just $24. The past few weeks here in New York City have demonstrated a truth that footy fans have long known: This is a game with a remarkable power to bring people and communities together. It is a game that holds the rare power of giving New Yorkers a glimpse into another world. One beyond the rent that still needs to be paid, the doctor's appointment that still needs to be scheduled [and] the workday still set to start early in the morning. It is game that with every Cruyff turn, every bicycle kick, every goal, brings joy into New Yorkers’ lives. That brings people to their feet.
Soccer is the people's game. New York City is the people's city. And for decades to come, the people will now be able to watch Gotham FC show off the world's game in the World's Borough. The best is yet to come. Thank you, my friends. And with that, I want to pass it over to our governor, Kathy Hochul.
Governor Kathy Hochul: Thank you, mayor. Yeah, we're not going to talk about last night. And I'm so proud of our team as well. So proud of the energy behind the men's team and how well they went and defied expectations [in] so many different places. And so, we love them, we cherish them and [we] look forward to future successes with them as well. Also, I want to thank not just the mayor, but also Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, the owner of Gotham FC. You know, we had a conversation a little while ago, and she kind of tipped me off that this might be happening, and I said, “Let's make it happen because where else, but New York should be their home.”
These women deserve the very best, and we can offer the very best. Give them more capacity for more fans [and] the excitement that even the players feel when they see a larger audience cheering them and rooting them on. And so, it's going to transform everything. And I'm so proud to be associated with this as well [as] everyone who's been acknowledged, our elected official representing Queens. Queens [is] getting a lot these days, Donovan Richards. Queens [is] getting the lot. He's always got his hand out.
But I just want to make a couple of references. This is the city of champions. We're still on a high from watching the New York Knicks and going down the Canyon of Heroes and, not long-ago, watching Lady Liberty, the Liberty basketball team; we all had the same place. We watched the parade and celebrated. We love our championship teams; we love our teams overall. And also, just what the World Cup has brought to this city, even for people who never really paid much attention to it — if there are such people, I don't know, but there are. I'm told there are, that they all are falling in love with it all over again, or maybe they played as children but lost the connection with it. But because of the World Cup and all the energy and seeing people wearing the flags of their countries and filling our bars, I had a chance to say goodbye to people getting on the very inexpensive buses that we provided — $20 round trip, that is a deal, my friends — as they're leaving Columbus Circle, representing their teams.
And I jumped on the bus, and I said, “I'm a former soccer mom,” so I'm gonna give everybody a juice box and an orange so you can be hydrated when you're out there. And people are just so happy these days. And soccer has been that unifying force. And so now, to make this announcement at this moment in history — it's just the perfect, perfect timing to say we're taking it to the next level. This is all about giving the women what they have deserved all along. They have always deserved first-rate. They deserve the pay, they deserve the facilities [and] they deserve to fans and we're going to be delivering that right here in New York.
And so, I wanted to say how proud I am to be part of this. Here in New York, we believe in soccer. We believe in the unlimited possibilities of unifying people from around the world into a common spirit — a common cause. And so, I'm gonna continue supporting this team, albeit many of the matches — I’m sure — but also just wanna say, this is your home. This is your home. And I just had a great conversation with Ali Krieger, an inspiration to so many of us. Let's give another round of applause to Ali Krieger, [a] World Cup champion, legend [and] ambassador to Gotham FC. And as I said at the end of it, I said in the immoral words of Taylor Swift, “Welcome to New York,” Gotham FC. Congratulations. Let me bring up to the podium the beneficiary of all that is good these days, and that is the borough president of Queens, Donovan Richards.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards: Thank you, Governor Hochul. Queens get the money. But good morning, Gotham FC. And I couldn't be prouder to be your Queens borough president, Donovan Richards. Let me be the first to say the three best words in the English language: “Welcome to Queens.” We've got the Mets — not doing so well these days — but we still love the Mets. We've got the US Open, and we'll have NYCFC next year. And now I couldn't be prouder to call the reigning two-time NWSL champions, our newest neighbors. What an incredible time this is to be a sports fan in New York City. I know that we're all still outside screaming, “Knicks in 5” — that was a great speech, by the way.
But in our borough, where 190 countries are represented and 360 languages are spoken, football will always be the king of Queens. Want proof? Just look at the parties on Roosevelt Avenue. They're not so good. For Columbia games or Steinway Street when Morocco wins, because we are the most diverse borough in the world. We have a truly unmatched passion and energy for soccer. And we're capitalizing on that excitement in the most important way possible, by bringing world-class professional soccer directly to the World's Borough. Not only do we have NYCFC moving into the incredible Etihad Park next year, not only will we be hosting nine Olympic soccer matches there in 2028 — think about that.
But now we're bringing World Cup winner, Rose Lavelle, Olympic gold medalist Tierna Davidson, Brazilian superstar Bruninha and the best damn world soccer team in the country to Queens. What a tremendous moment this is for young girls across Queens and generations of young girls to come. They will have heroes to idolize right there in their own backyard. They will have even more of a reason to fall in love with this beautiful sport. They will be the ones to follow in the footsteps of Rose, Tierna and Bruninha — who have shown the world that women's sports matter just as men's sports as well.
To our partners at NYCFC, it's been an honor to work with you on bringing Etihad Park to life. To soccer fans across Queens, we scored another goal today. To soccer fans across Queens, we scored another goal today. And to our new friends at Gotham FC, we can't wait to throw you a parade down Roosevelt Avenue — wow, with the best food — we're gonna march the Corona Plaza when you bring a championship home to Queens. And there's never been a better time to invest in Queens or call Queens home. This is proof. Welcome home, Gotham FC. And congratulations to every football fan across the World's Borough. Queens get the money. Now it gives me great honor to bring up a visionary, our Gotham FC president, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett. Thank you so much for investing in the World's Borough. Let's get it.
Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Club Governor, Gotham FC: Thank you, mayor. Thank you, governor. Thank you, Queens borough president. Thank you to our partners at NYCFC and to everyone whose vision and partnership helped make today possible. And most importantly: Thank you to our players, our staff and our supporters, the people who have carried this club through every chapter. Take a look around for just a moment. Because years from now, we will remember this day. Not because Gotham announced a new stadium, but because of what this moment made possible. Today, I am incredibly proud to announce that beginning in 2028, Gotham will call Etihad Park our new home. It is a world-class stadium, beautiful in design and extraordinary in what it represents: a new chapter for our club, and one of the great soccer venues in the world, right here in New York City.
But today isn't just about a new place to play soccer. It is about belief. Belief in what Gotham can become. Belief in what women's sports can become, and the courage to believe in both before the rest of the world does. Today is about Gotham FC, but it is also about something much bigger than Gotham. Every generation has moments when the future suddenly feels a little more real. This is one of those moments. When my family became part of Gotham, we weren't simply investing in a team. We were investing in the future of women's sports.
And from the beginning, our ambition was not simply to build one of the best teams in the world; it was to build one of the defining sports organizations across the world: a club little girls dream of playing for; a club families build traditions around; a club lifelong soccer fans choose as their own; and a club that reflects the spirit of New York, the grit of New Jersey and the ambition of Gotham FC. Over the past several years, we've made real progress toward that vision. We've won championships. We've competed on the global stage. We've become a destination for the best players in the world. But we've never mistaken success for the finish line. Every milestone has challenged us to think even bigger. And that's what today represents.
Etihad Park is where the next chapter of Gotham begins. It's where our supporters will create new match day rituals. And it's where an entirely new generation of fans will fall in love with Gotham for the very first time. Because great clubs become part of people's stories. They're part of their family traditions and friendships and identity. They become a part of the fabric of a city and there is no greater sports city than New York City. Growing up around the New York Giants, I learned that iconic sports organizations are not remembered because of the buildings they play in; they are remembered because of what happens inside them, the culture they create, the communities they build and the generations they inspire.
And while today is about where we'll play our matches, it's also a part of something much bigger. Earlier this summer, we announced our permanent training facility in Whippany, New Jersey, the first dedicated training home in our club's history. Together, these investments reflect our belief that the best players in the world deserve world-class environments, a home where they can train and develop and a match-day home where we can come together to compete and cheer and make lasting memories. For the first time, Gotham is no longer borrowing a future. We're building our own.
And just as importantly, today's announcement doesn't change who we are. Gotham was built by supporters on both sides of the Hudson. New York and New Jersey are inseparable parts of our identity, and they always will be. To every supporter who believed in this club before the championships, who stood by Gotham when the future was uncertain, who drummed in the rain, [who] road tripped cross country and [who] helped make this club special: thank you. You didn't just support Gotham; you helped build it. People often ask what “Always building, never finished” means. It means we never mistake a milestone for the mission. A championship isn't the finish line. A training facility isn't a finish line, and neither is this incredible new stadium.
So, whether you've believed in Gotham from the very beginning or today is the first chapter of your Gotham story, welcome. We can't wait to fill these stands with you. We can’t wait to create new traditions with you, and we cannot wait to celebrate with you. Years from now, people won't remember today because Gotham announced a new stadium, they'll remember it because it marked the beginning of a new era for this club. The best chapters of Gotham’s story are still ahead, and we all get to write them together. Always building, never finished. Thank you. And now, NYCFC President Brad Sims.
Brad Sims, President and CEO, NYCFC: Good morning, everyone. What a great day. It's really great to be here at City Hall today. Mayor Mamdani, thank you for hosting us. Governor Hochul, Queens Borough President Richards, who's been a huge champion of this project from day one. Council Member ShanelThomas-Henry, thank you as well for being here and for your continued leadership. Carolyn, to you and the entire Gotham team. While here, we could not be more proud to have you as partners. And thank you to all of you, most of all. New York City FC is now bringing Gotham FC to Etihad Park. We could not be more grateful to share a home with the reigning NWSL champions, a club that has achieved so much and yet has such great ambition for the future.
When we started this journey to build Etihad Park, the intention was always to build something bigger than a stadium for New York cCty FC. Of course, this will be our home, the first permanent home our club has ever had. But from the beginning we also wanted Etihad Park to be a home for the game itself a home to the world's game and the World's Borough — a stadium that could welcome major matches international tournaments like the Olympics but also welcome our communities, our supporters and the next generation of soccer fans in New York City and very importantly a home that could help bring women's professional soccer to New York city at the highest level.
That was always part of New York City FC's vision. Today, with Gotham FC making Etihad Park its future home, that vision becomes real. Beginning in 2028, New York City will have both men's and women's professional soccer clubs playing in New York City’s first-ever soccer-specific stadium. This is a proud moment for New York City FC, for Gotham FC, for Queens and for New York City. It's a proud moment for anyone who believes in where soccer, and especially where women's soccer, is going in this city. I've said many times there's never been a more exciting time to be a soccer fan in New York city, and this is one more huge reason why.
Etihad Park is rising right now as we speak in Queens, in the World's Borough, and one of the most diverse and dynamic communities anywhere in the world. It is being built to reflect the energy, the ambition and the spirit of this city. And now it will be home to two clubs that care deeply about growing this game and positively impacting the people of New York City. With Etihad Park, we wanted to build a home, something lasting and we wanted to help cement New York City's place as one of the great soccer cities of the world. We are proud to have Etihad Park be the new home for Gotham FC and to have played a part in helping bring women's soccer to New York City.
We cannot wait to have you all — Gotham, your staff, your supporters, everyone — at our shared home in Etihad Park in Queens in 2028. Thank you so much. And next, I'd like to introduce president of soccer operations for Gotham FC, Yael Averbuch West.
Yael Averbuch West, President of Soccer Operations, Gotham FC: Good morning, everyone. I'd like to start by thanking Carolyn, our ownership group and everyone at Gotham FC whose vision and commitment have made today possible. I'd also like to thank the leadership at NYCFC for believing in this partnership and helping create an opportunity that will benefit our players, our supporters and the continued growth of our game. And thank you to everyone else here whose work has turned what once felt like an ambitious dream into today's reality. As someone who grew up playing soccer in New Jersey and who played for this club in the early days in Piscataway at Rutgers University, today is incredibly meaningful to me on a personal level. Those New Jersey roots are part of who we are and they will always be. That's why I'm so excited that today's announcement doesn't leave our roots behind; it builds on them. This summer, we're making the largest infrastructure investment in our club's history: as Carolyn mentioned, a new training center in New Jersey and now a future home at Etihad Park. Together, these investments represent something much bigger than new facilities. They represent our ambition as a club.
From the soccer side, our responsibility is to create an environment where players can be at their very best every single day. When you give elite athletes elite resources, you raise the standard for everything: how you train, how you recover, how you develop and ultimately how you compete. That's how you build an environment capable of attracting, developing and retaining world-class players. And over time, that's how you give yourself the best opportunity to compete for championships year after year. But what excites me even more is what this means beyond the players who wear our crest today. I'm a former player and now I'm a mom. I think about the young girls and boys who will walk into the stadium in the years ahead. They'll see a packed crowd, a world-class home and a women's professional club that belongs to one of the biggest stages in sports. They'll grow up believing that that's simply what women's soccer looks like.
As a young player training in New Jersey, I imagined playing in packed stadiums, in an environment and with a platform that's now only becoming possible. I also thought my cleats would be worth millions someday, so I saved them all. Spoiler, they're definitely not, and they smell very bad. But this is what I imagined: a future where women could play in front of full stadiums, for clubs that invested in them at the highest level. At that time, that future didn't really exist. Today, we're helping to build it. We're incredibly proud of our New Jersey roots. They'll always be part of who we are. And we're just as excited to begin this next chapter in New York City as we continue building one of the world's leading clubs in women's football. Thank you.
Question: Can you comment a little bit on Donald Trump imposing himself on that red card. Can you just comment? Do you think he went out of bounds?
Mayor Mamdani: Look, I think as someone rooting for the U.S. Men's National Team, I think that Folarin Balogun should have never been given that red card. I thought it was a cruel red card. I also spent most of my time just thinking about the game, and I think I will echo the sentiments of many that it was a very difficult night and yet the difficulty of it doesn't take away from our pride in the players, our pride in the team and in the fact that across the nation, people were united by not only an appreciation of what we've seen out there over the last few weeks but also a recognition of the fact that we too are a soccer country and we're so excited to see what that's going to look like in the days and weeks and months and years to come. And true for men's soccer. It's true for women's soccer. And it's really exciting that in the midst of the height of World Cup excitement, we're making an investment that is going to outlast just these few weeks.
Question: [Inaudible].
Mayor Mamdani: I keep the conversation with the president and myself between the president and myself, but I do make my own decisions.
Question: There's a lot of talk of what Queens is getting in this. Willetts Point is getting a lot that. Is there anything else you would like to see the city explore around Willetts Point and this stadium?
Mayor Mamdani: I think what's incredibly exciting around this stadium, around the investments made around the stadium, are that it is one that honors the growing excitement for this game. It is also one that is being done alongside investments in affordable housing, which are critical in a city that is the most expensive in the United States of America. And it's also being done, when we talk about the stadium, with union labor. And I'm interested in exploring any other options that we have to continue in that tradition. And I think what we're seeing right now is an understanding that so much of the success, it's a shared success — when this is a stadium, not just any more for one team, but for two. It's not just any more for one game — it's for the game for all those who love it, whichever sport, whichever team.
Question: Given that you have a sort of ascendant role in the democratic party, could you talk about the Maine senate race? Do you think that Graham Platner should drop out of the race, and do you have any intention of endorsing any candidates in competitive races outside of New York? El-Sayed, or anyone else?
Mayor Mamdani: I believe that it's time for him to drop out of the race. And when it comes to my own endorsements, I've made eight endorsements at the state and federal level. They've all been right here in New York City. I'm incredibly excited at the fact that they won their races, and that's where my focus is for now.
Question: [Inaudible].
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I think the focus of today should be to respond to the gravity of what so many of us have read, and I think that the only appropriate response is for the campaign to come to an end.
Question: Can you please update us on the city's response to the unstable building situation unfolding this morning in midtown on East 42nd Street?
Mayor Mamdani: Yes, so at about 8 a.m., FDNY received reports that bricks were falling from a building under construction on East 42nd Street between Second and Third Avenue. And first responders have found structural issues on the 21st floor. So, this is where two structural columns have buckled at this time. Additionally, multiple cracks and sagging floors were found on the 21st floor. Now luckily, there have been no injuries to report. At this time, all workers are accounted for. The building has been evacuated. A number of tall buildings in the area are also being evacuated at this time. A school with about 400 children has also been evacuated. And as a result of all of this, most of 42nd Street and 43rd Street between First and Third Avenues have been shut down to pedestrians and to vehicles.
All of these is a reflection of the fact that our top priority right now is the safety of those who live in this area, the safety of those who work in this area. And DOB inspectors and engineers are on site working quickly to secure the site as well as that surrounding area.
Question: [Inaudible].
Mayor Mamdani: I think at this time just to follow instructions of those on the ground, and I do appreciate that whether they've been school children or they've been residents of the building that they have been doing exactly that.
Question: I just wanted to circle back to the back and forth there. Did you talk to the president about the red card suspension? If you can't answer, why are you so scared of answering that question? Was there some sort of agreement that you not talk about this?
Mayor Mamdani: No, there's no agreement between the president and I to not talk about this case. I haven't spoken to the president about the red card, and I've also made it very clear that my conversations with the president have to do with what benefits our city and the struggles of New Yorkers to afford our city. And I think that while so much of the focus and the lead up to the game was about that question, frankly, I think more of us are now thinking about the game itself, the team, the incredible run and our hopes for the future.
Question: And I just want to circle back to Sally's question, too, about Platner. Do you think a scandal like this, and what now looks like almost an inevitable end to his campaign, is going to hurt the broader progressive movement in the United States? Is this a big setback for the left that you've been leading?
Mayor Mamdani: I think the focus of today should be on the campaign coming to a close, and I think there will be many more days to have conversations about what it means beyond that.
Question: I'm going to take it hyperlocal to Uptown. And I wanted to talk about the heat wave and pool situation. We had at the Highbridge Pool — and I should say a shout out to all the Parks Department people, a shoutout to Highbridge Pool people, because they do great work — However, this weekend we did see extreme overcrowding. And my question is, I wonder if it's time to revisit the way that we access pools? Perhaps there's a way that we can make sure that people maybe sign up in advance, have time slots, something to that effect, because what ended up happening was severe overcrowding, lots of teens that were there. And unfortunately, after waiting for 45 minutes, the pool was closed after 30 minutes, and then another hour later, it was reopened. So, I just think this is something specific to Uptown at Highbridge but also something that, you know, is an issue that could be perhaps better managed throughout the city
Mayor Mamdani: I appreciate that, and I think what you're also speaking to is the fact that our city faced the hottest temperatures we've faced in more than a decade. And in this time, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for New Yorkers to stay safe and the best way to do that is to stay cool. So, we did extend the hours of mid-size and Olympic-size pools to 8.30 p.m., which is later than they've been in previous heat emergencies. However, the point that you make is very well taken because we know that at a time of intense heat, there will also be intense demand to be at our city's swimming pools. And so, we will take that feedback, and I'll go back to the team to talk about when inevitably we have the next heat wave, how can we look to better accommodate that demand.
Question: Just to follow up on the Pfizer Building, do you have any sense of whether or not the building is actually at risk of collapse at this point? And any sense on how long it might take to resolve the situation there?
Mayor Mamdani: I think that the first responders are doing everything that they can at this time. What they have found thus far is that there are structural issues with the building. I would say that beyond that, just for those in the immediate area to follow the instructions of those on the ground, we have seen evacuations not only of the building, but of surrounding buildings as well as a nearby school. And I believe that those actions are appropriate at this time.
Question: And any sense of how long it might take to secure the area or make it safe or —
Mayor Mamdani: At this time, it's minute by minute in terms of their assessments. However, we will be sure to update the public when we have anything to do so.
Question: A committee in City Council is currently debating the pay increase by 18.2 percent. I know you previously said that you would not take the raise. I know Speaker Menin said she would not the raise as well. Do you support other City Council members, the comptroller, borough presidents accepting these raises if it were to go through?
Mayor Mamdani: I leave it to them to make that decision as well as to the City Council in their debate over this legislation. I will not be taking a raise if this legislation passes.
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