From Streets to the Stadium: NYCFC to Install Massive 31-Foot Heroic Pigeon at Etihad Park
What began as one fan's whimsical act will soon anchor a corner of NYCFC's new stadium.
♫ N-Y-C, N-Y-C, We are NYCFC; From the Bronx all the way down to The Battery, We are NYCFC ♫
A classic, now almost unfamiliar chant rang through the night as over 43,000 strangers filed into Yankee Stadium on March 15, 2015, for New York City FC’s historic home opener. Omari McCleary was among that crowd, making his way to Section 237 while adorning a pigeon mask, excited to cheer on the Major League Soccer expansion side. This new team, with new players and new fans, was striving to establish its identity and culture in a rapidly growing league.
“When the club came about, I started going to all the events with the mask on. Not talking, just clowning around”, McCleary told Katie Cahalin in 2017. He had been brainstorming ideas for symbols that would appeal to kids and help build the club's culture.
Chris Campbell just happened to have a GoPro mounted on his hat while standing just ahead of Omari McCleary at the historic home opener, perfectly capturing this Clark Kent-to-Superman moment after the first-ever goal at Yankee Stadium.
McCleary sees pigeons as “the true G’s of New York City” and the perfect symbol for the soccer team representing New Yorkers. “Pigeons always look like they’re busy going somewhere,” McCleary said. “You can try to bother them, but they’re just going to go back to right where they were.”
For the last ten years, McCleary has continuously worn the pigeon mask at club events and games, earning the nickname of the “NYCFC Pigeon.” In large part due to his efforts, the pigeon symbol has become an increasingly popular and recognizable club icon.
In 2017, New York City FC released a limited scarf featuring multiple pigeons. The following year, the club’s grounds crew placed a pigeon on a pole supporting the goal netting. MLS analyst Matt Doyle helped popularize the “Pigeons” nickname nationally in his columns and MLS coverage, despite the team and the league initially pushing the unpopular “Cityzens” moniker on the league website. Supporters soon began regularly wearing merchandise adorned with the pigeon imagery, and most recently, the club’s second team unveiled new kits donning a fresh pigeon logo.
“The pigeon is a really funny story,” NYCFC representative Kylee Wyatt explained to the New York City Public Design Commission (PDC) during a meeting last month. “Our fan here, Omari, from the beginning, showed up with this pigeon mask, and it kind of became an unofficial mascot that the fans really seemed to love throughout the years. It’s really taken on a life of its own.”
That life will soon be cemented—literally. In 2027, when Etihad Park welcomes fans for the first time, a gargantuan pigeon sculpture will do the same, greeting visitors as they enter New York City FC’s state-of-the-art, $780 million stadium. Carved into the side of the team’s permanent home, the 31-foot-tall “hero pigeon” is one of four planned art installations presented by the club that were granted preliminary approval by the PDC on February 23rd.
Early stadium renderings released by the club featured a prominent pigeon outside the supporters’ entrance. However, club CEO Brad Sims downplayed the significance of the art, suggesting that the pigeon was included mainly to elicit fan feedback and that he “had no idea” whether it would remain in the final design. These latest plans, however, make it clear that the club is moving full steam ahead with the pigeon.
The “hero pigeon”, planned for the southeast corner of the stadium, will soar to 31 feet in height, nearly twice the size of the High Line’s famous Dinosaur sculpture. With its wings outstretched, the imposing bird evokes comparisons to the University of Notre Dame’s iconic Touchdown Jesus, standing at the same height as 5 Keaton Parks or 6 Maxi Moralez.
Matt McInerney, Design Leader for HOK, the architects behind the stadium, explained that the design team explored several variations of the pigeon sculpture, including options with the Manhattan skyline in the background or a single “hero pigeon” flanked by five smaller pigeons, each representing one of the city’s five boroughs.
The updated version presented to PDC removed some detail to the pigeon as well as the skyline.
What Else is Planned?
In the Northwest Corner, a simple engraving of “New York City” is planned for the concrete walls. According to McInerney, the design team wanted to exclude the “FC” from this landmark to focus more on representing “the place” itself while still reflecting the essence of the club. Additionally, an abstract brick pattern is planned to symbolize “the winds blowing the faint smoke from the ‘Valley of Ashes,’” an allusion to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, adding a literary and symbolic layer to the stadium's aesthetic.
The Cube is planned for the Southwest corner of Etihad Park, featuring a massive NYC monogram on the southern-facing wall. The wall is nearly 78 feet tall, with the monogram estimated to be over 56 feet in height—roughly the equivalent of 8.8 Keaton Parks or 10.7 Maxi Moralez. McInerney noted that the full club badge was initially considered for this spot, but the monogram was chosen instead to better represent not only the club but also the city itself.
The Northeast corner, where the club’s supporters will enter the stadium, will showcase a landmark sculpture designed to symbolize the heartbeat of the club. A gigantic flag emblazoned with the NYC monogram was chosen to illustrate this power symbolism, representing the pulse and spirit of both the team and its fans.
While these renderings aren’t quite final, significant changes to the four selections above are unlikely. The presenters noted these landmark drawings were updated based on previous feedback received and discussed the themes in a manner that suggests, aside from cosmetic updates and some adjustments to details, there won’t be any major changes to the design.
Pigeons Go Away, and They Always Come Back
The NYCFC Pigeon told The Outfield that he is excited to see what started as a fun idea turning into something of substance for this club that he and a growing number of people are flocking to.
“I look forward to the day I can put my then five-year-old on my shoulders and tell him a story—not just about what happens when you follow your idea o[f] fun (like putting on a mask at games),” McCleary said, “but about what happens when you connect that idea to your values and acts of service.”
McCleary added that while he understands the appeal of having a “hero pigeon” represent toughness, he’d personally prefer a mosaic of smaller pigeons as “it’s never been about one—not one player, not one idea—but the collective. It’s the mix of cultures and origins that makes New York City, and NYCFC, special.”
As the pigeon debate continues to stir among the New York City FC fanbase, the club appears determined to embrace its fan-driven culture, and McCleary is all for it.
“I really believe this stadium is going to elevate supporter culture into a full 360-degree experience,” McCleary said. “I say keep all the organic imagery, memes, inside jokes—document them, display them. Throw a raccoon up there too, why not?”
Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see that very same pigeon mask from that cold March 2015 night in a display case at Etihad Park. ❧
Image: Willets Point Phase II, Stadium Parcel Submission For Conceptual Comments - Stadium Landmarks: NYCFC Branded Walls (February 24, 2025)
Love it. Our park is going to be gorgeous.
Great piece, Soups.