Manchester City open the New York City Football Club franchise
MANCHESTER CITY are soon to be just one outlet of brand City, with a new City branch sceduled to open in New York City. Odd, indeed, that a team owned by Arab Emirates United, formerly United Arab Emirates, should not have bought the other Manchester club, namely Manchester United.
Man City’s owners appear to be thinking big in their push for global ubiquity, but surely any number of cities – Mexico City, Sun City, Blue Ball City (Pennsylvannia), Dead Horse City (Alaska), the Forbidden City – are paled by the world’s Uniteds – United Kingdom, United States, United Nations. Surely City’s owners have laid themselves wide open to a Chinese or Russian gazillionaire, or indeed a sand-dusted cousin, taking charge of Manchester United and embarking on a programme of expansion not witnessed since Christian missionaries hit Africa.
As for the details, City have invested in a $100 million deal with the New York Yankees baseball team to create a Major League Soccer team. City’s New York City FC will showcase their sky blue kits in season 2015-16. Satisfyingly for cynics, the City brand has called the move “transformational”.
The Times says that the New York Yankees, which have a 25% stake in the project, could end up playing baseball in another Etihad Stadium.
Plans to relocate City fans to New York to add authenticity to the project are yet to be confirmed.
Photo: New York Yankees president Randy Levine, left, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, center, and Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano pose for a photo at the MLS headquarter in New York, Tuesday, May 21, 2013.
Posted: 22nd, May 2013 | In: Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
