Behind the scenes at Sports Illustrated Stadium (Harrison, NJ)

A taste of VIP-ness

*This trip occurred on October 18, 2025 - that's right, I posted this on the same day as the event. I had a few reasons for doing this, but those are honestly unimportant IMO.

I watch a lot of sporting channels on YouTube. One of them which I found relatively recently showcases VIP experiences for soccer/football matches across England (and also a few other countries as well) - from the high end teams known the world over (such as Liverpool or Arsenal) to the team that plays down the lane (such as Tooting & Mitcham United).

Of course, those experiences cost money...especially at the top levels. Even if I had the couple hundred to spend on one of these tickets, I don’t see it as good value, as the experience lasts only about four or so hours. Of course, I can't say that I've never done a VIP experience before, as I've seen a few New Jersey Devils games from a private suite (my dad works for one of the Devils' sponsors, so we've gotten in for free).

However, a few weeks ago, I received an email from Gotham FC. They held an open house to showcase parts of the stadium most fans don't get to see on matchday, plus try to sell them on becoming season ticket holders. I felt it was a good opportunity to learn more about Sports Illustrated Stadium, so I decided to attend.

I won't go into too much detail on the public parts of the stadium, as I've already done that. Instead, I'm going to talk about what was showcased at the open house - complete with photos of course!

First things first, they offered free parking for this event, which was really nice. However, I wasn't sure if the lot they designated was "actually" available (as most of its gates were closed), so I ended up in the lot of a nearby park. Second, the entry point for this event was the VIP entrance - which usually requires, well, VIP tickets to enter. There was also access to various VIP areas of the stadium, plus you got to see the view from one of the suites (which, from what I was told, are mostly controlled by the Red Bulls - even for Gotham matches). Third, while a good chunk of my time was spent in the "normal" seating bowl, I did get to sit in some of the premium seats which are prohibitively expensive. The padding on those seats was INSANE - if it wasn't for the fact that they're a couple hundred a match, I'd love to try one sometime.

However, the part I think was coolest was a look at some of the areas only accessible to players/staff on matchday. I was allowed into Gotham FC's dressing room (which seems to be the visitors dressing room for Red Bulls matches¹), plus take a walk through the tunnel the players walk through at the beginning of matches. The tunnel featured Gotham FC's most recent trophy - the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which is the women's version of an international knockout tournament between clubs in various North American countries; if you're familiar with the UEFA Champions League (or, to be more accurate, the UEFA Women's Champions League), it's basically that for North America (I forgot to get a photo of said trophy however).

As for me becoming a Gotham FC season ticket holder, it's...up in the air. I can't say that I'm not interested (for various reasons), but right now might not be the right time.