NY Cosmos plan $400 million, 25,000-seat soccer stadium at Belmont Park racetrack
The New York Cosmos hope to build a 25,000-seat soccer stadium at Belmont Park, placing a $400 million wager of sorts that the development site may eventually become home to an MLS team or another top-tier franchise.
The privately funded project in Nassau County — a proposal presented to the Empire State Development Corp. last week — is completely independent of MLS, and separate from that league’s continued plans to construct a stadium in Flushing. The Cosmos came to believe the Queens location was rife with too many political and geographic obstacles, and that Belmont Park could be more easily transformed into an entertainment complex.
“We plan to develop an iconic project for the region and build a state-of-the-art stadium that will make Nassau County and the entire region proud,” said Seamus O’Brien, chairman and CEO of the New York Cosmos. “Belmont is an ideal location and a win-win for everyone involved.”
The New York Racing Authority no longer owns the land at Belmont. It is the property of the state, and operated by the Empire State Development Corp. The Cosmos have undergone several ownership changes since their dynastic days in the defunct North American Soccer League.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/check-proposed-new-cosmos-stadium-article-1.1241159
