Borough President Diaz Calls on MLS to Bring Pro Soccer to The Bronx

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    • Borough President Diaz Calls on MLS to Bring Pro Soccer to The Bronx

    Diaz: ‘Together with your league, we can also continue to cement the new reputation
    of the Bronx as a sports mecca.’

    Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has issued a letter to Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer, urging the league to consider the Bronx, and not Queens, as the home of its newest franchise, the New York City Football Club.

    “As reports have made clear, your league’s plans to build a new soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows have stalled and may not be able to be revived. It would appear that there is little enthusiasm for world class soccer in Queens,” Borough President Diaz wrote.

    In the letter, Borough President Diaz stated professional soccer in the Bronx would bring an incredible economic benefit to the borough, specifically noting the amount of visitors the Bronx saw this week during the soccer match between the national clubs of Spain and Ireland, which was held in Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.

    “While here, these soccer fans spent money in local businesses and restaurants, bringing tremendous economic activity to the 161st Street corridor. If a Major League Soccer franchise were to make its permanent home in our borough, we can replicate that financial boost, either at 161st Street or elsewhere, more than 20 times a year,” wrote Borough President Diaz.

    Borough President Diaz also mentioned in the letter that professional soccer would be a perfect complement to other major sports projects taking place in the Bronx, such as the PGA-level golf course managed by Donald Trump, a world-class tennis center in Crotona Park and the largest ice center in the world at the Kingsbridge Armory.

    “The Bronx would be the perfect home for a new professional soccer franchise. I am ready to work with Major League Soccer to make this a reality, and I look forward to beginning this conversation,” said Borough President Diaz.

    Download the letter.

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