NYCFC stadium next to Citi Field to be called Etihad Park after United Arab Emirates airline

New York City FC’s $780m, 25,000-seat venue that it intends to open next to the Mets’ Citi Field in 2027 will be named Etihad Park under a 20-year agreement announced Thursday with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. The Major League Soccer team’s controlling owner is City Football Group, the parent company of England’s Manchester City. The Premier League team’s venue was renamed Etihad Stadium in July 2011. NYCFC president Brad Sims said revenue from the deal will go to the MLS team and not the parent company or English club, which is under investigation by the Premier League for alleged violations of financial fair play rules. Etihad has been NYC’s shirt sponsor since 2014 and Manchester City’s since 2009-10, a season after the Abu Dhabi United Group took control. “It’s a 100% New York City FC deal,” Sims said. “Etihad Airways has been essentially our premiere, our principal and founding partner since Day 1 at the club here. ... We wanted to ideally stay with someone who is a current partner of New York City FC and or someone in the City Football Group family but Etihad was easily kind of the No. 1 focus that we’ve had all along.”<br/>