Hudson River Blue sat down with New York City FC CEO Brad Sims for an exclusive interview in the schoolyard at PS 184M Shuang Wen in Manhattan’s Chinatown, where members of the first team and city dignitaries gathered for a ceremony to inaugurate the 50th mini-pitch the New York City Soccer Initiative built in 5 years.
Note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Hudson River Blue: Are you tired of people asking you about the stadium?
Brad Sims: No. It kind of goes with the territory, you know. Is that the question?
HRB: Yes.
Sims: [Laughs.] Because it’s number one when I wake up every day, and go to sleep every day. It’s number one on my mind, I know it’s number one on the minds of so many people throughout our club, and our fans. They want updates. The challenge is the day-to-day things change so quickly, or not at all, that it’s challenging to give updates.
We want to provide a sense of hope, you know? We want everyone to know how important it is to the club. Sometimes people hear the same kind of talking points over and over, but they’re true: The most important thing for this club and for the health of this club long term is having a soccer-specific stadium in the five boroughs.
