Neighborhood Spotlight: Pier 40

Hey Footy Family,

If you've spent any significant time playing pickup soccer in NYC, you've almost certainly played at Pier 40. It's one of the largest single soccer areas outside of Randalls Island, and it's where we host numerous NYC Footy leagues and our Better Player programs. If you haven't found a field yet, or you just want to check out somewhere new, Pier 40 is one of NYC's tried and true locations for soccer.

Up next: Pier 40

The Field: 

As mentioned already, anyone who has played soccer in New York City is probably already familiar with Pier 40, which is one of the mainstays of not only the Footy community, but also of the city itself. It’s home to the most active pickup community in the city. Day or night, rain or shine, somebody will be here looking to play. 

The facility has fields on two separate floors, both on the roof and on the ground floor, each covered in turf. The downstairs field is gigantic, with enough space for 6, even 8 games to run at any given time. The upstairs, while only large enough for two games to run at the same time (tragic I know), looks directly into the forest of skyscrapers that make up downtown Manhattan, making it a particularly cool place to play at night. Just make sure you’re not enjoying the view too much during the game.

If you're playing anytime other than the summer, I'd advise you to bring that extra layer to the field as it’s located over the water and can get a little windy.

The Neighborhood:

Pier 40 is wedged right in between Soho and the West Village, so there are effectively a möbius strip of bars to choose from.

Houston Hall: located just three blocks directly away from the field on W Houston street. The space, like Pier 40, is massive, with incredibly high ceilings, and very long tables where you'll find plenty of room for you and your teammates. 

The Village Tavern: is another neighborhood staple, and is just a few blocks further North of the field. It's a classic Irish pub, with a good selection of beers and drinks, solid bar food, a great staff that's well accustomed to soccer players trodding in, and to top it off they serve goldfish at the bar instead of bar nuts and if you're not a fan of that I'm not sure we can be friends.

The Ear Inn: If you're a history buff, this is a must see. The bar has been around since the 1817 in one form or another, at first selling home brewed beer and corn whiskey. Over the years, the site has been a smugglers den, brothel, doctors office and boarding house, survived prohibition, and all without a name, simply being known as "The Green Door". Now, the bar serves libations to regulars and visitors alike as live music plays in the background.

Just a little East from the field you’ll enter NYU territory, where there are bars, comedy clubs, jazz clubs, and Washington Square Park, so rest assured if none of these bars were to your liking, just keep walking straight you’ll find something to do.

Fun Fact: The Ear Inn is named so because the two owners wanted to avoid a lengthy inspection of the signage by the landmark commission. To do that, they simply taped over the round parts of the "B" in their neon "Bar" sign so that it reads "Ear" instead, officially named the bar The Ear Inn, and the rest is history. Don't ask me why that worked or why they cared, but they did and so did their plan.

Directions: 

Trains: There are a few trains in the near vicinity. The closest station is the Houston St station, where both the 1 and 2 trains stop. After that, your best be is W 4th St/Washington Sq, which you can get to using the A, B, C, D, E, F, and M trains. 

Bike: If you’re biking the location is fairly convenient as the bike path that runs along the outside of Manhattan runs right in front of the field. If you use Citibike, there are stations both along W Houston St and just South of the fields along the promenade. 

Thanks for listening.

- James

Get Kicking!

As always, we'd love any feedback you have about the fields, how to get there, or any hidden gems in the area. We promise to keep your secrets safe within our email blasts.