How New York's New MLS Stadium Plans To Go Fully Electric

In November 2023, the New York City Football Club (NYCFC) shared its plans to build the first-ever Major League Soccer fully electric soccer stadium. During its local community board meeting in Queens, NYCFC revealed the proposal for a 25,000-seat stadium in Willets Point. Under its Willets Point Phase 2 project, the sustainability plan formally entered the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) in the same week.

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According to the NYCFC, the privately financed project will also be the first fully electric professional sports stadium in New York. Aside from this, it also revealed plans to deliver a total of 2,500 affordable housing units, a 650-seat public school, a 250-key hotel, and a public open space for its community.

To go fully electric, the NYCFC points to plans of using an array of solar panels installed on the stadium roof. Additionally, it mentions the use of built-in efficiency through intelligent systems and an emergency backup generator, which can be used during code-required testing or unexpected power outages.

The stadium diagram shared by NYCFC included various sustainable practices in its plans, like water harvesting and waste management facilities. On top of this, NYCFC also claims that it plans to enact carbon reduction strategies, such as encouraging public transportation, restoring biodiversity, and using locally sourced materials in the process. Forbes shared that the $780 million stadium is set to open in 2027. Setting the stage for sustainable entertainment facilities in the future, here's why this fully electric stadium matters.

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Why going fully electric matters for professional sports

The United Nations Environment Programme reports, "Building and managing a sport facility and operating an event uses energy and can contribute to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation, as well as to ozone-layer depletion, habitat and biodiversity loss, soil erosion and water pollution."

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In 2016, FIFA confirmed its pledge to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC) during COP26 to produce net zero emissions by 2040. In line with this, FIFA promoted the Qatar World Cup as the first climate-neutral tournament in 2022. However, a year later, Reuters cited reports from the Swiss Fairness Commission, which claimed FIFA's carbon neutrality claims during the 2022 World Cup were misleading. Carbon Market Watch estimated that the total carbon footprint of permanent stadiums constructed in Qatar could have amounted to 1.6 MtCO2e, eight times more than initially reported.

Among professional sports arenas, per Forbes, the Climate Pledge Arena became the first arena in the world to earn net zero carbon certification in 2023. Certified by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), the home of the Seattle Krakens required a massive overhaul in its design to achieve this, such as ripping out natural gas piping and reinventing its cooling and heating processes.

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By proving that fully electric stadiums are possible, NYCFC could potentially provide a framework for how to successfully build communities around sustainable sports arenas from scratch.

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