ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced on Monday, the newly-agreed upon Buffalo Bills stadium will also be used for other sports, including soccer.
That has one local group excited.
FC Buffalo is a soccer club with men and women's teams. Members play in the National Premier Soccer League, a fourth-tier organization for semi-professional play.
Though there isn't a first-tier professional team in Buffalo, the city has a dedicated fan base.
FC Buffalo members believe the new stadium could grow that fan base even more.
"We have been out of the picture for United States men's national team games and women's national team games,” FC Buffalo co-owner Nicholas Mendola said. “We have been out of the picture for a number of different soccer events. So to have the opportunity to grow our sport in this area and be more attractive to bigger leagues/stages/events is obviously a positive for the area."
Mendola anticipates Buffalo's soccer culture to explode over the next four years, as the FIFA World Cup prepares to come to the U.S. in 2026.