Transcript: Mayor Mamdani, Governor Hochul, Gotham FC, New York City FC Announce Gotham FC Will Make Etihad Park in Queens Its New Home Beginning in 2028
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceLook, 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. I keep the conversation with the president and myself between the president and myself, but I do make my own decisions.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI 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. 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes, 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. 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceNo, 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAt 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.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI 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. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani, Governor Hochul, Gotham FC, New York City FC Announce Gotham FC Will Make Etihad Park in Queens Its New Home Beginning in 2028.