NYCFC’s new sporting director says Willets Points stadium will be ‘recruiting tool like no other’

New York City FC’s (NYCFC) new Sporting Director Todd Dunivant believes the club’s new stadium in Willets Point will be a “recruiting tool like no other,” allowing the club to attract big-name players to Queens from 2027.

Dunivant, who took over as NYCFC’s sporting director at the beginning of 2026, said the stadium would be “transformational” both for the club and Major League Soccer, describing the stadium as a “flagship” venue in the biggest market in the United States.

NYCFC is set to play its first game at the stadium, dubbed Etihad Park, at the beginning of the 2027/28 season after the MLS transitions to a summer-to-spring schedule to mimic the European soccer calendar.

The club broke ground on the venue in December 2024 after the City Council approved plans for the stadium the previous April, which also includes plans for a 2,500-unit affordable housing complex, a 650-seat elementary school, a 250-room hotel, retail space and 40,000 square feet of public open space.

The 25,000-seater stadium, which will be located across the street from the Citi Field bullpen along Seaver Way, will be the first soccer-specific stadium in New York City.

For Dunivant, the new stadium represents an opportunity for the club to “kick on” and make their home stadium a “fortress.”

“We have to kick on and make it a place that is a great place to watch a game, but a horrible place if you’re on the opposing team,” Dunivant said.

Dunivant added that NYCFC already has significant home-field advantage while it currently splits its home games between Yankee Stadium and Citi Field but said there is an opportunity to build on that advantage further when Etihad Park opens next year.

Dunivant has toured the construction site since joining NYCFC and is very impressed by what he has seen.

“It gave me chills,” Dunivant said. “It’s very steep. You can already tell how on top of the action everyone is going to be.

“It’s almost striking how steep it is. It’s going to be incredible.”

Photo via NYCFC

NYCFC CEO Brad Sims, meanwhile, said the stadium’s opening represents a “new era” for the club and perfectly aligns with the MLS calendar switch, which he described as a “new era” for the league.

“You’ve got the 2.0 version of New York City FC, the next era for NYCFC with Etihad Park,” Sims said. “It’s all aligning simultaneously and it couldn’t be better.”

Sims added that the new stadium will allow NYCFC to have a “much more balanced schedule,” with the club’s home schedule currently tied to availability at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. As a result, NYCFC will play eight of its next 10 MLS games at home due to Mets and Yankees scheduling.