The New York Yankees are getting into the soccer business, as the team announced on Tuesday that they will partner with the English club Manchester City to own a new Major League Soccer franchise that will play in New York City starting in 2015.
Manchester City was expected to own the club and the addition of the Yankees is a welcome surprise that keeps part of the team local. The MLS has continued to grow over the years and a team in NYC was a plan for the league for many years and will cost around $100 million.
English Premier League club Manchester City, owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, will be the majority partner in New York City Football Club with the Yankees, the biggest name in baseball, an "active member of the ownership group". Manchester City and the New York Yankees have formed a new Major League Soccer team to play in New York City from 2015, the organizations said on Tuesday.
"This is another big day for soccer in America," MLS commissioner Don Garber told Reuters.
"We have worked for quite some time on trying to finalize a deal to bring the 20th MLS team to New York City. Two of the biggest, most prestigious and clearly most respected sports organizations in the world are joining together to own this team," he added.
The new club will face a local rival in the New York Red Bulls who play in Harrison, New Jersey and are owned by Austrian energy drink firm Red Bull.
Garber said MLS viewed a new top-flight team in New York City itself as a "transformational" moment for the league.
"This is a big market and represents over 19 million people," he said.
"I think it will be transformational for MLS and for soccer in America. This country is rapidly becoming a very powerful and passionate soccer nation and it is our view that bringing together these two organizations will allow us to continue that tremendous momentum and bring it arguably to the most important city in the entire world," he added.
While City have been working on the details of an MLS franchise for nine months, Yankees president Randy Levine said his organization only joined the process "very, very recently".
"We are really excited. George Steinbrenner, the boss, and the Steinbrenner family, (owners) Hal and Hank Steinbrenner, have long been soccer fans," Levine told Reuters.
(Reuters quotes)