If you are a New York Red Bulls fan who was already thinking of attending home games at Red Bull Arena later this year, you are going to have to wait a while longer for that experience.
Red Bull Arena will not be completed in time to open during the 2009 MLS season, meaning the Harrison stadium will now open in 2010.
Red Bulls managing director Erik Stover confirmed that the club will have to wait until the start of the 2010 season to open Red Bull Arena.
"We have dealt with a number of obstacles throughout 2008 that led to delays in construction, thus Red Bull Arena will not be completed until after the 2009 season," Stover said. "When we started erecting steel last August, we said that we had been hit with delays out of our control but were hoping that we would (be completed during the 2009 season).
"With all this in mind, the best decision for us is to prepare for the 2010 season," Stover said. "Our goal has always been to create a first-class experience for our fans. Opening before we are 100% ready would do a disservice to our fans that have waited for our new stadium."
According to multiple sources, multiple issues led to delays in construction and development, from government red tape to delays in the development of the area.
If this scenario sounds familiar, it should. This development shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anybody who has followed the long and torturous journey the club has endured in its quest for a soccer-specific stadium. Sources told SBI back in 2007 that the stadium project would almost assuredly be delayed by the same political obstacles that have plagued the Harrison project for almost a decade.
The delays in the Red Bull Arena project have led to another casualty in the club's plans. The proposed practice facility in Hanover will not be built in the immediate future as the club focuses its attention on completing Red Bull Arena.
"We will not be breaking ground in Hanover in the immediate future," Stover said. "The more prudent thing for us to do is to focus on Red Bull Arena and reassess the Training Grounds later in the year.
"Hanover is still in our future, but our focus at this time is on Red Bull Arena."
The Red Bulls are expected to extend their deal with Montclair State University, which is home to the club's current temporary practice facility.
Not all the news is bad regarding the stadium project. The bonds that needed to be sold to build the parking deck next to Red Bull Arena have been sold, clearing the way for that project to commence. There had been concerns about whether the bonds would be able to be sold in this current economic climate. With that issue resolved, the stadium and parking facility should be ready to go for the opening day of the 2010 season.
So who is to blame for the latest delay? You can blame Red Bull, but the real blame lies with New Jersey politics, which has been known to cripple and even kill many a deal. The Town of Harrison lobbied hard for the stadium project, but not everybody in Harrison has been completely supportive of the project. Red Bull does deserve some blame for being naive enough to think that it could get through the red tape without a hitch, when 2010 was always the most likely outcome.
2010 will be a good year for MLS Stadia. If Red Bull Arena wasn’t going to be so freakin’ awesome then KC’s place would have been the best stadium in MLS (don’t believe me, I’m not surprised. But just you wait and see)
With all these delays, they better make sure they have the BEST stadium in the league. And the REALLY better make sure they have the best field in the league. Especially since the turf at Giants Stadium is pathetic.
Guess this is better than DCU’s stadium situation…
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
*wipes tears from eyes*
Told you.
I’ll believe there is a stadium when I see an actual match conducted in it, and not a moment before.
remember when this was supposed to open in 2008? Good times.
If Trump can throw up a skyscraper in Jersey City in 8 months, why is this thing taking so long?
Good call on how big a year 2010 is arkjay.
I’m looking forward to the Arena, even in Atlanta, cause the drawings look beautiful, and, most important to me, it’s got the LED adboards on the field. To me, that’s part of what’s missing to make us look big time. Cause I’m lame like that.
@ arkjayback which other stadium is set to open in 2010?
Can this delay be blamed on Nick Sakiewicz too? Isn’t all of this his fault?
So wait, 3 new soccer specific stadiums (including Philly’s) are set to open in 2010 along with 1, possibly two expansion teams? And the US has about as good a chance as it has ever had at the World Cup.
Saying 2010 will be a HUGE year for US soccer would be an understatement.
The Austrians need to understand they need to pay Tony his money. Didn’t they watch the Sopranos? (Too easy – sorry)
sounds like they finally decided to pay the “concrete tax” to the mob!
Nothing wrong with a 2010 opening. Let the stuff inside and around the stadium get polished up, build up through the off-season and start strong.
Gotta love New Jersey (and Illinois) politics.
Nothing surprising here. Ives probably wrote this post last year.
That will be some great PR for Harrison, New Jersey when the stadium is done in August and you can’t get to it because it is surrounded by a construction zone. From the webcam progress and how long they have been working on the stadium I have no doubts the stadium could be done this year.
Ives,
is he just setting the bar low here in case some other snags occur? I can’t imagine that they won’t move in ASAP, especially if its done just in time for the playoffs
Why does every project in jerzey take soooo long?! I wish there was another team in NY/NJ to root for…
another year at Giant’s Stadium?! I’d rather watch them play at Kean University.
aw blerg! i guess it’s not the end of the world, at least it’s happening at all.
There goes any idea of getting season tickets….
SON OF A B!#$@
And why the hell can’t they have the practice facility being built at the same time??!?! Just get 2 different crews!!!! It’s not that hard! It’s a much smaller project. Jeezus Christ!
Good… we can can trade our 2nd DP then, right???
From a standpoint of marketing the team, I think its a good thing that they will start the season in a new stadium as opposed to picking it up mid-stream.
maybe they should hire more mexicans
This ensures that First Kick 2010 will be Red Bull hosting Philadelphia on whatever night ESPN wants to broadcast it. I’m already looking forward to it.
hey at least they started on it and we can see how much they do on the web cam.
I’m not surprised by the news of RBA not opening at all this year. The news about the training facility does surprise me. I don’t believe there are such problems with building crap anywhere else in the country, except NY.
In the year 2525 if Red Bull is still alive, still alive……….
Why would anyone be remotely shocked by this? I thought all along it wouldn’t be ready, and its not. Like someone else said, the folks at RedBull can at least try to build some buzz going into the new season. Hey, maybe you guys can even sell it out once or twice. 😉
I’m just glad this project is happening at all with the way the economy is going. It’s a miracle that we got this thing off the ground before Wall Street collapsed. It looks like the Hanover practice facility will have to be sacrificed indefinitely, but we already have Montclair State for practice and they have been pretty good to us so far.
Hey, there is steal in the ground now and the continue to build, in this economy that’s all you can hope for. Go out to Vegas and look at how many projects are completely stopped in mid-construction. As long as they keep building, that’s all that matters.
This development takes the pressure off of the town of Harrison to rush the infrastructure improvements around the stadium. Now with 14 months until opening, Harrison can ensure that the town will be ready for opening day, not rushing to hit a moving target of a date this fall.
I completely expected this when no one at RBNY even brought up the various concerns season ticket holders would have about a midseason move. To be honest, it kind of does suck just a bit. To be more honest, I’m looking forward to a final full season of tailgating.
Here’s the opportunity this presents: get a big name signing this summer (Henry?). That will drive numbers to the larger venue for the late 2009 season, and make season tickets a premium in the new stadium for next year.
I’m okay with this. Here’s hoping it is a helluva venue for soccer. Go Red Bulls!
it would be interesting to see if they can actually fill the stadium
OK, no biggie because EVERYONE saw this coming anyway like months ago. Open in 2010 as a fully operational battle station.
Lets hope the US natl team can have a tune-up before the 2010 WC!
come on wtf
While not that surprising, it’s still disheartening. Oh well, Metro fans are used to saying “Wait ’til next year!”
F**K!!!!
Are we talking about only a six month delay or is that a best-case scenario?
From the webcam, it looks like the construction company is making great progress on it. Although I guess the timeline is too aggressive to make the tail end of the 2009 season.
I actually think this is a blessing in disguise. While it would be nice to get this place open and out of Giants Stadium as soon as possible, having Red Bull Arena open at the beginning of the year definitely trumps a late-season opening.
It worked out OK for Real Salt Lake last year, as the team was in the midst of it’s first ever postseason run.
The problem with opening mid-season is that you can’t fully take advantage of the hype.
What if the Red Bulls are bad next year? Even if they are good, if 12,000 people are coming to see them all season, why are 14,000 more going to start in August?
This way, Red Bulls have a whole offseason to market to fans and bring new ones in. Instead of jumping in mid-season, the new Red Bull fans can be there from the start of the Arena. And, if the team brings in a big-name player, it won’t be 20,000 sitting in an empty Giants Stadium for half a year, but rather 26,000 sitting in Red Bull Arena all year.
I am fine with this.
I think it is a better decision to start a season fresh at a new stadium as opposed to playing there for the last month. So this seems to me like a better situation anyways. That being said, the sooner we get out of Giants Stadium the better. I just hope we don’t have to suffer through anymore delays.
I think it better to have a great opening in 2010, than a not so great one in 2009. Either way Red Bull Arena is happening. Waiting 1 more season after all thats happened seems like a very small price to pay.
That is really disappointing, though not unexpected. I’ve been waiting for years, so what’s another season I guess…
Not that surprising…but at least construction seems to be making progress.
I’d rather they open it up in 2010 to begin the season. It might get some added buzz with the World Cup taking place a mere few months after.
“‘When we started erecting steel last August, we said that we had been hit with delays out of our control but were hoping that we would.”
———
“Hoping that we would” WHAT?? That’s a really weird quote, Ives. Mayhaps a paraphrase might be better?
Better late than never… ask KC fans.