NYCFC continues to give back to New York City

One aspect of New York City FC that is always admirable and lovely is the fact the club always gives back to the community. Since Day 1, the Pigeons have shown that they appreciate they can play in the Big Apple, and always want to show their appreciation by giving back. It could be through community service, projects, or monetary donations.

Recently, NYCFC has announced a couple of big donations. These moves highlight the club's investment in the city but also illuminate the love as well.

NYCFC made two big donations

Last week, it was announced the team made a $7.5 million pledge to York College to "fund health and wellness, athletics, and other programs" over the next few years. $2 million has already been donated. This will be utilized "towards renovations to the fitness center, a student health, wellness, and resource hub, program funds for health and professional programs, and athletics transportation."

This donation by NYCFC is an incredible one. It is the largest donation to York College and is a great way to continue building relationships with the Queens community as the team prepares to eventually move to the borough permanently in 2027. Additionally, City in the Community will still work with the school, expanding "their partnership to bring more youth leadership and soccer programming to students" of York.

More importantly, the donation will help the college. The small school has room to grow in multiple areas. It is a well-known New York City school, but there is no question it needs donations to better the campus and its academic programs. It is exciting to see how York will grow over the next few years, and whether others will take a hint from the soccer team to donate money to the school.

That was not the only donation revealed. NYCFC also announced a new partnership with Randall’s Island Park Alliance, or RIPA. NYCFC II will play at Icahn Stadium, which is a unique stadium on the small island. The club "donated $3 million for the refurbishment of the stadium, developing it into a state-of-the-art soccer facility while maintaining its use as an athletics venue for world-class track and field events."

The donation helped expand the stadium's pitch to a regulation-size soccer field. Moreover, the track and field facilities were also updated. The changes to the stadium also facilitate the venue's ability to host other sporting events.

NYCFC II will still play at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium, but now they will split their matches between the two locations. This allows the team to continue the relationship with the university while also giving the MLS Next Pro side a chance to play in a larger venue.

The investment into Icahn Stadium is a way for NYCFC to prove they will continue to invest in the whole city and not just Queens. The club is called New York City FC for a reason. This was another great move by the team, for it expands the reach of NYCFC II and helps the stadium to host other events. It will be interesting to see how this donation impacts Randall’s Island in the future.