NHL: New York Islanders build arena near Belmont Park

The New York Islanders from the NHL leave Brooklyn and build an arena near the famous Belmont Park racetrack on Long Island. This was announced on Wednesday by Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York. The club prevailed against New York City FC from MLS in the competition for the building site.

The Islanders had moved from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the 2015/16 season, which had been home to the franchise since it was founded in 1972.

The fans were never really warm with the hall, among other things because of the low capacity (15,795 seats).

The new arena of the Islanders, club of the German national players Thomas Greiss and Dennis Seidenberg, will offer 18,000 spectators space. It will be erected almost 15 kilometres from the site of the Nassau Veteran Memorial Coliseum.

“The Islanders return to where they belong,” said Cuomo:”When they left, they left a gap in the heart of Long Island.