The USFL will eventually expand into local markets and when they do a suitable home will be needed in the Garden State for the NJ Generals. But where can they comfortably host their five home games per year? There’s no lack of football facilities in New Jersey, but convenience and location are key. Jersey is a big state. Let’s look at four places I think the Generals may call home in the future.
1. Met Life Stadium
Home of the Jets and Giants of the NFL, It’s a new facility, with modern amenities, easy to reach and configured for football. It’s a huge stadium that a 20K crowd wouldn’t put a dent in and it will be expensive to lease. The old Generals drew 40K-50K a week, but that was an NFL caliber team. It’s not realistic to expect crowds of that size.
2. Red Bulls Arena
Located not far from Met Life, in Harrison NJ. Red Bull Arena is a nice, 25K capacity MLS soccer specific stadium, convenient to mass transit. It’s a newer facility and the size is just right but the stadium has two tenants. The MLS Red Bulls and the NWSL Gotham FC use the stadium during spring and summer when the USFL plays. Could five weekend dates be fit into the schedule for American Football and are the Red Bulls willing to share their grass field?
3. SHI (Rutgers) Stadium
Home of the Big 10’s Rutgers Scarlet Knights, this is the most logical choice. Situated in the heart of Central NJ, not far from the NJ Turnpike and with plenty of parking. Holds 52K so a crowd of 20-30K would not get lost in this size facility. Throw in the already red color scheme and it's a natural fit.
4. Princeton Stadium
A long shot. It’s a nice little stadium and recently refurbished. Holds 27K, but it’s location in the farther reaches of central New Jersey makes access to fans in the rest of the state a concern. Parking isn’t exactly ample and the stadium lacks seats backs, limiting comfort for fans, especially on a wet day.
It’s far too early to tell where the Generals will call home, or if any of the above listed stadiums are even being considered. Logistics is a concern, especially if any of these stadiums are in the running to host a 2-4 team hub for the 2023 season. The league has been tight lipped to this point regarding future locations. Wherever they end up, the Generals will have a quality location for their fans to gather and create a bond with the team and vice-versa.
What do you think about the choices? Is there a stadium I didn’t mention? Send me a message in the official USFL Discord Generals Channel. Lets talk about it!
I forgot that Soccer fields are sacrosanct, that is, the surface must be pristine for the game to function well, so, none would like a football team playing there, which is understandable but a shame. Gotta go with your no.1 pick here too.