According to sources, the New York Islanders have received news on Tuesday that its bid to build a new arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York has been accepted.
Islanders are coming home. Sources say their bid to build a new arena at Belmont has been selected by the state as the winner. Story on https://t.co/DRdvZ90vva soon.
— Jim Baumbach (@jimbaumbach) December 19, 2017
New York Islanders Arena Proposal Accepted for Belmont Park
After things did not go as planned with the move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Islanders are finally headed back to Long Island. A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday at the racetrack to make the announcement official.
According to Jim Baumbach of Newsday, the bid includes an 18,000-seat, year-round arena that would host 150 events per year. In addition, it would have 435,000-square feet of space for retail, a hotel with 200 to 250 rooms and a 10,000-square foot “innovation center”.
The Islanders proposal beat out another bid by New York City FC, which is a Major League Soccer team that is partially owned by the New York Yankees.
With the news of the Islanders heading back to Nassau County, loyal fans of the franchise can now breathe a sigh of relief. Not only are they getting their team back, there is no longer the risk of the team packing up and moving out of New York. In addition, the stage is now set for the Isles to re-sign their most valuable player, John Tavares.
