Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani, Gotham Fc and New York City Fc Announce Gotham Fc Will Make Etihad Park in Queens Its New Home Beginning[...]

Governor Hochul, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Gotham FC and New York City FC announced today that Gotham FC - the two-time, reigning National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) champion - will make Etihad Park in Queens its permanent home beginning in 2028. The move marks a defining moment in New York City history, giving one of the world's leading women's clubs a matchday environment that reflects its ambitions and providessupporters with a memorable experience in a world-class city.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, we're not going to talk about last night. There's always - I'm so proud of our team as well. So proud of the energy behind the men's team and how well they went and defied expectations, so many different places. We love them, we cherish them, and look forward to future successes with them as well.

Also, I want to thank not just the Mayor, but also Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, the owner of Gotham FC.

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We had a conversation a little while ago, and she kind of tipped me off that this might be happening. And I said, "Let's make it happen, because where else but New York should be their home?" These women deserve the very best, and we can offer the very best, give them more capacity for more fans, the excitement that even the players feel when they see a larger audience cheering them and rooting them on.

It is going to transform everything, and I'm so proud to be associated with this as well. And to everyone who's been acknowledged, our elected officials representing Queens. Queens is getting a lot these days, Donovan Richards. Queens is getting a lot.

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Yeah, I know. He's always got his hand out. But, I just want to make a couple references. This is the city of champions. We're still on a high from watching the New York Knicks and going down the Canyon of Heroes, and not long ago, watching Lady Liberty the Liberty basketball team. We all had the same place. We watched the parade and celebrated. We love our championship teams. We love our teams overall. Also, just what the World Cup has brought to this city, even for people who never really paid much attention to it - if there are such people I don't know, but there are - I'm told there are. That they all are falling in love with it all over again, or maybe they played as children but lost the connection with it. But because of the World Cup and all the energy and seeing people wearing the flags of their countries and filling our bars. I had a chance to say goodbye to people getting on the very inexpensive buses that we provided, $20 round trip - that is a deal, my friends - as they're leaving Columbus Circle representing their teams, and I jumped on the bus and I said, "I'm a former soccer mom, so I'm going to give everybody a juice box and an orange so you can be hydrated when you're out there."

People are just so happy these days, and soccer has been that unifying force. So now to make this announcement at this moment in history is just the perfect timing to say we're taking it to the next level. This is all about giving the women what they have deserved all along. They've always deserved first rate.

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They deserve the pay. They deserve the facilities. They deserve the fans, and we're going to be delivering that right here in New York. So I wanted to say how proud I am to be part of this. Here in New York, we believe in soccer. We believe in the unlimited possibilities of unifying people from around the world into a common spirit, a common cause.

So I'm going to continue supporting this team. I'll be at many of the matches, I'm sure, but also I just want to say this is your home. This is your home. And I just had a great conversation with Ellie Krieger, an inspiration to so many of us. Let's give another round of applause to Ellie Krieger, World Cup champion, legend, ambassador to Gotham FC.

As I said at the end of it, I said, in the immortal words of Taylor Swift, "Welcome to New York, Gotham FC." So congratulations.

Let me bring up to the podium the beneficiary of all that is good, these days, and that is the Borough President of Queens, Donovan Richards.