A general view of the pitch during the opening kickoff between Manchester City and Chelsea during the first half of an exhibition game at Yankee Stadium. (Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)
Yankee Stadium may play regular host to the beautiful game.
According to a report from the New York Times, new MLS team New York City F.C., which will enter the league next year, will play its home games in Yankee Stadium for 3 years before moving to a soccer-specific stadium that has yet to be built. The article cites two people “familiar with the team’s plans.”
MLS had no comment on the story. New York City F.C. did not immediately return calls for comment.
New York City F.C. is an expansion franchise that came as a result of a partnership with the New York Yankees and Manchester City F.C., a team that plays in the Barclays Premier League.
Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
The news came as a surprise to many MLS fans…and Yankees fans. Both the MLS and the MLB seasons last from March to October. Under the reported plan, Yankee Stadium would play host to 81 home baseball games and at least 17 soccer games each year. The current MLS season is 34 games long, but with expansion teams joining, it could grow longer.
Soccer is a very different sport from baseball. While outfield grass in a baseball park can support three outfielders running over it over the course of a 9-inning game, it would be much more difficult to maintain grass that has 22 players running over it in thick studs for a 90-minute soccer match. Under the reported plan, that outfield grass could be subjected to that treatment for 17 or more home soccer games each summer.
On top of this, for every soccer game, the infield dirt must be covered with grass. If the field reaches the mound, the mound must be flattened for every game. For a good soccer pitch, the grass would be consistent from the outfield onto the turf that was placed over the infield. None of this is easy to do.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
For the exhibition game between Manchester City and Chelsea, sod was brought in to cover much of the infield and the game was played on a slightly compressed field. There are no set dimensions for a soccer field, but FIFA mandates a field must be at least 50 yards wide and 100 yards long, and at most 100 yards wide and 130 yards long. Most elite teams prefer a larger field, but with the constrictions of Yankee Stadium, a long, wide field would be very difficult.
In an interview with press earlier this year, Yankees’ executive director of nonbaseball events Mark Holtzmann talked about the potential of other events being hosted on the field, and the grounds crew’s ability to quickly prepare the park for baseball.
From the New York Times:
“Technology has gotten to the point where I think we can turn it around pretty quickly,” Holtzman said.
“Baseball is clearly the No. 1 priority,” he added. “We wouldn’t do anything to put anyone at any risk; there’s a major investment here in the players. At the end of the day, we look at these opportunities very carefully, and we wouldn’t get into these opportunities unless we were confident in the end result.”
