ArentFox Schiff Represents MLS’s New York City FC and CFG Stadium Group, LLC in Stadium License Transaction with NWSL’s Gotham FC

The AFS team was led by Sports Industry Group Co-Leader Richard Brand. Sports Industry Group Partner Zak Welsh played a prominent and leading role in the transaction. The AFS team also included Sports Industry Group Partner Kelli Scheid Smith and Sports Industry Group Associate Cheyenne Rodriguez.

Etihad Park, a 25,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium currently under construction in the Willits Point neighborhood of Queens, New York, is anticipated to open for the 2027-28 Major League Soccer (MLS) season and, once complete, will be New York City’s first soccer-specific stadium and the first fully electric MLS stadium in the country.

As noted by New York City FC, this transaction reflects the continued commitment of New York City FC and its majority owner, City Football Group, to investing in New York City and advancing the growth of soccer across its five boroughs. 

In addition to this stadium license transaction, AFS represents New York City FC and CFG Stadium Group, LLC in connection with a multitude of other commercial and operational matters related to the club and Etihad Park, including naming rights and sponsorship (including kit agreements), suite and premium seating, food and beverage, ticketing, and merchandising.

ArentFox Schiff has one of the most experienced and diverse sports law practices in the country, which was recognized as a 2025 “Practice Group of the Year” by Law360 in the Sports & Betting category. The Sports Group regularly advises leagues, teams, venues, operators, sponsors, and brands across all major professional and collegiate sports throughout the United States and internationally, as well as purchasers and sellers of professional franchises and other sports properties. The group also represents some of the most well-known athletes, media companies, private equity firms, and sports agencies, on a broad array of sports-related engagements, encompassing both transactional and litigation matters.

The group’s experience covers nearly every type of commercial transaction in the sports industry, including the purchase and sale of professional sports properties, stadium and arena development, naming rights and founding partnerships, sponsorship agreements, and key foundational operational agreements such as management agreements, ticketing agreements, food and beverage agreements, and pouring rights agreements. 

The Sports Group is preeminent in the field of naming rights, having worked on some of the biggest and most innovative deals in the sports industry. The team also negotiates some of the largest athlete endorsement agreements and steers large investments in professional sports franchises. Beyond transactional work, the group has extensive experience in dispute resolution, including many high-profile litigations and confidential disputes.