Smack in the middle of Manhattan on a dilapidated pier on the Hudson River. The Major League Soccer (MLS) is currently trying to convince local officials and residents of the idea of building a soccer-specific stadium at Pier 40 (photo above).
A new stadium would become the home of a New York expansion team, the second MLS team for the city, which has been high on the list of MLS priorities for some time now.
New York’s other MLS team, the New York Red Bulls, have not long ago moved into the brand new Red Bull Arena in the suburb of Harrison, however the MLS hopes that the rivalry of a second New York team will create further soccer enthusiasm in the largest city of the United States.
Though the Red Bull Arena is arguably one of the finest arenas (if not the finest) of the MLS, its distant location and poor public transport connections have led to many complaints of fans and have so far hampered the club from building up a large support base. The promised accompanying development in the derelict area of Harrison has thus far stalled because of the economic crisis.
The MLS is intent on not making the same mistake and is now looking for a central and accessible site for the second New York team.
At the same time the Hudson River Park Trust, which is managing the pier, is looking for commercial developers to increase revenue as reserve funds are running low.
The slowly deteriorating Pier 40 currently boasts a few community soccer fields and is also in use as a long-term parking facility. It is located on the West Side of Manhattan at Houston Street.
A stadium would likely require the change of laws governing the trust, for which support of the local assembly, and in particular assemblywoman Deborah Glick, is required.
Glick seems to favour a less commercialised pier which is open for public use. She also argues that the state of the pier is not as bad as some make it out to be.
MLS officialls will therefore have to convince Glick and local residents that a soccer stadium is best for the community and that the occasional traffic disruption by soccer fans is a lesser threat than permanent housing at the pier.
Apart from winning over local officials and residents, the MLS of course also still has to find an owner for the new club and funding for a new stadium. Repairing the pier alone is already estimated to cost $100 million.
Photo: © David Shankbone