Etihad Park, the first soccer stadium in New York City and soon home to New York City FC and Gotham FC, will be offering a venue-specific annual membership program called Etihad Park+ that functions like a perks-filled add-on for ticket holders but is open for anyone to buy into, whether they're on a season-ticket plan or not.
It's not a streaming service even if the plus-signed name makes it sound like one. The newly-announced membership is described as a tiered offering that will give its members priority access and better pricing on all forms of events held at the Queens stadium, soccer or concert or otherwise, plus cash back on eligible merchandise and concessions purchases, and access to certain other member perks like exclusive gifts, events, and more to be announced at later dates.
There was no information made available about the cost of Etihad Park+, only that it will start getting sold later this year and that there will be levels of membership offered, with the cost and thus the perks of each member level varying.
Etihad Park+ is described as being a first-of-its-kind program, since it's not exclusive to only one of the two teams playing at the stadium, and it's not roped off as something only offered to people with season tickets. It exists separately and is only tied to the venue, not a season-ticket deal with one of the teams playing there, so it will be targeted at both NYCFC and Gotham fans alike.
The announcement comes shortly after Gotham FC of NWSL confirmed it will make the move to Etihad Park, a move Gotham says has already gotten the club over 1,000 season-ticket deposits (priced at $28, $50, or $500 depending on the type of seat) for the debut 2028 season spent full-time in Queens.
The new membership program will try to reel in anyone who walks through the turnstiles at Etihad Park, presented as a way for fans to buy their way into more experiences at the venue and gain "year-round benefits" that go beyond just having a ticket to a match at the new Willets Point venue. The stadium is already confirmed to host some Olympic soccer in the summer of 2028, and it's easy to see it slotting into the summer friendly circuit for a mix of international clubs during their preseasons, not to mention the plans to host concerts there, as well.
The season ticket-selling process for New York City FC's first campaign at Etihad Park, set to be the 2027/28 MLS season that kicks off around this time next year, is happening now. The club is rolling out its season ticket sales in phases and, so far, that's only covered the hospitality and premium seats available at the new stadium. Those seats require multi-year commitments from ticket-buyers, though that reportedly won't be the case for the stadium's non-premium seating, with sales of those seats expected to begin in the coming months.
Etihad Park+ is an attempt to get any fan who enters the building interested in spending more to gain more, though it remains to be seen how this gets received by fans who will already be spending good money on seats in the brand-new soccer stadium.
