Gotham FC relocates NWSL semifinal to smaller venue, citing 'concerns about the quality of the playing surface' at Sports Illustrated Stadium
In a Gotham release, the team said that the decision was made "amid concerns about the quality of the playing surface” at the club’s home field, Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Key points
- After concerns about pitch quality, Gotham FC will officially continue its NWSL title defense at a difficult stadium.
- Sports Illustrated Stadium joins venues like Snapdragon Stadium, home of the San Diego Wave, which has been under scrutiny for years: With the stadium owned and used by San Diego State University while hosting the Wave, MLS’ San Diego FC and others, pitch conditions have often visibly worsened by the fall.
- New York Red Bulls, which operates Sports Illustrated Stadium and is its primary tenant, is set to host a friendly against Club América on Saturday.
The NWSL announced Monday that Gotham will host the Kansas City Current for a semifinal at Icahn Stadium, a 5,000-seat venue, with kickoff at 3 p.m.
Gotham played one regular-season game at the stadium earlier this year due to scheduling conflicts in Sports Illustrated Stadium; notably, the field at Icahn Stadium is turf, rather than grass.
Additional details
- Our players deserve a playing surface that meets the standards of a professional semifinal, and our fans deserve the opportunity to support them.
- Stadium conflicts initially raised concerns that the Spirit would have to host a game at the Washington Commanders’ Northwest Field due to a Division III football game at Audi, but the game has reportedly been moved, per ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf.
- (Photo by Caean Couto/NWSL via Getty Images) Caean Couto via Getty Images Both pitch quality and shared venues have been issues that have plagued the NWSL for years, especially in stadiums that are used by several other tenants.
- Our responsibility is to provide our players with the best possible conditions to compete, and ultimately, we felt we had to prioritize the playing surface," Averbuch West said in the statement.
- We look forward to our match on Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium," the statement said, via CBS Sports' Pardeep Cattry.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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