The bidding and planning for New Jersey to host eight matches of the 2026 FIFAWorld Cup at MetLife Stadiumwas in the works for eight years — and while Gov. Mikie Sherrill has been a part of that process for only the last five months, her fingerprints are now all over it.
In quick succession, her administration scrapped the logistically-challenged Liberty State Park fan fest in favor of dozens of grants to support small businesses around the state, established a commuter discount program for inconvenienced NJ Transit customers, and embarked on a full-throated defense of the initial decision to charge match-goers $150 to shuttle back and forth to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
That price has now beenreduced to $105thanks to the help of private donors, even as Sherrill, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and others called on FIFA to help offset the tournament's transport costs.
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Sherrill's North Star has been to minimize the exorbitant costs and the reliance on New Jersey taxpayers to pay for the state's outsized role as a partner host with New York City.
“It was really important to me, day one, that if we we’re hosting FIFA, knowing how much it costs to host an event like this, that we didn't just put all that on the back of New Jerseyans,” Sherrill said during an exclusive interview with NorthJersey.com at her Newark office.
The transit of it all
The most scrutiny Sherrill has faced so far is over transportation plans for the tournament, some of which are in her control, but many of which is not.
The things not in her control include FIFA's decision to inflate the security and media perimeter around the stadium, which eliminates more than 20,000 parking spots normally available for MetLife events. While FIFA will provide transportation for about 22,000 VIP match-goers and members of the media, that leaves 56,000 people in need of transport.
NJ Transit is responsible for 40,000 of those fans, but the agency’s 17-year-old Meadowlands rail shuttle can move only about 10,000 people an hour.
To double that capacity, the agency spent more than $100 million to build a temporary bus terminal to augment the rail shuttle between Secaucus Junction station and MetLife, which will be renamed New York New Jersey Stadium during the five-week tournament this June and July.
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But most of the feedback Sherrill has received has been over the initialeye-popping $150 round-trip ticketto take NJ Transit to and from the matches.
Sherrill received backlash and praise for what seems like a steep price, especially given that NJ Transit normally charges customers the heavily subsidized price of $12.90 for round-trip tickets to MetLife events.
Though FIFA and Sherrill's predecessor, Gov. Phil Murphy, signed anagreement in 2018 to provide free public transportationto the 2026 World Cup, that waswalked backafter NorthJersey.com reported on the agreement. FIFA amended its agreements with host cities in 2023 so they could provide public transport "at cost."
NJ Transit's “at cost” price to provide public transportation for 40,000 fans is$62 million— or almost $8 million a match — for the extra buses, security and labor, plus leasing nearby lots to run the bus operation, which officials said came out to $150 per ticket per match.
That is a “huge, heavy lift,” Sherrill said. “FIFA is set to make about $11 billion on this game, so it just doesn't make sense to put it on New Jersey residents.”
No one has beaten this drum more than Kris Kolluri, Sherrill’s pick to lead NJ Transit as CEO and president and to lead the New Jersey Turnpike Authority as executive director.
If NJ Transit had charged its usual $12.90, the ticket would have been subsidized by over 90%, which could have required additional aid from the state coffers or an increase in fares from commuters, who are already bracing for a 3% hike on July 1.
“How do you think that would have gone? Do you think that would have been fair? Do you think that would have been equitable? I think not,” Kolluri said at a recent Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce panel event focused on World Cup planning. “We owe the fans and ourselves an obligation to be honest and thoughtful about how we approach problems, and that is all we have tried to do.”
Other transit agencies, such as SEPTA in Philadelphia, used funds raised by their region’s host committee to offset their subway’s transportation costs and keep ticket prices low for fans. Meanwhile, Boston is charging $80 for its commuter rail tickets to matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, up from the usual $20 its transit agency charges.
The New York-New Jersey host committee is also providing $80 round-trip tickets on privately chartered buses for 10,000 fans going to the matches at MetLife. They will depart from three locations: outside of Grand Central Terminal, the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in Clifton.
Economic benefits
Another focus for Sherrill when she joined the World Cup planning process was to spread out the economic benefits of the tournament and help small businesses capitalize on this rare opportunity.
In less than three months, Sherrill’s administration developed a World Cup fan event program to disburse 34 community grants totaling $5 million throughout the state instead of one monthlong event at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
Evan Weiss, head of the state’s Economic Development Authority, said the initiative will “help turn the world’s largest sporting event into an economic driver for local communities and small businesses.”
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That sentiment was echoed by Amy Herbold, president and CEO of Choose New Jersey, the nonprofit that has historically helped governors promote state policies and opportunities geared toward local business.
“By administering the grant process and working directly with local partners, we are helping ensure these events are impactful, inclusive and reflective of New Jersey’s diverse communities, while also supporting small and local businesses that are vital to their success,” she said.
Though the governor didn't directly address why the Liberty State Park fan festival was shelved, Sherrill said she wanted to expand the benefits for local businesses so they could “take advantage of the tourism opportunities.”
There's another source of spending. Four national teams will use the state as a base camp to train and prepare for their matches, so the players and their entourage of families, trainers, coaches and support staff will spend nearly two months in the community.
“This is the biggest sporting event in the entire world that we're hosting — hosting in New Jersey — what I would call the center of the world,” the governor said. “That's why we have these opportunities.”
When in doubt, tax
The governor threw her support behind aplan that would temporarily increase the sales taxand other fees in the Meadowlands area during the tournament.
Introduced by Paul Sarlo, a Bergen County state senator who chairs the powerful Senate budget committee, the bill aims to recoup some of the money already spent and upcoming security costs.
The bill would:
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Apply a hotel and motel occupancy surcharge of 2.5% from June 12 to July 21 for hotels in 17 of New Jersey's 21 counties, excluding Atlantic, Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May.
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Increase New Jersey's state sales tax 3% for “tangible personal property,” prepared food, soft drinks, alcohol and admission to a “place of amusement."
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Add 50-cent fees on "prearranged" transportation rides to or from the Meadowlands.
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Apply a 10% surcharge for gambling on the World Cup paid by casinos or joint sports wagering operations to be paid to the Casino Revenue Fund.
New Jersey residents would be allowed to claim a credit on their taxes for anything they were charged in relation to the bill.
Sherrill called it a “tourism fee” during an “Ask the Governor” appearance in April.
“We’re looking to make sure we can defray the cost of hosting the FIFA World Cup — which we’re very excited about — and ensure that New Jerseyans don’t pay for it,” she said.
Seeking federal money
While the state has paid a lot of money to accommodate this tournament, the list of expenses is growing, particularly to ensure there is a robust security and law enforcement presence.
Sherrill is seeking federal dollars to help cover those costs.
“Part of the reason that FIFA chose to have the World Cup final here is because we have some of the best police in the nation," Sherrill said. "They were most comfortable with the professional police force that we have.
“The expertise they have in really high-end security, and especially in the wake of 9/11 just being in this area of the country, they just can handle things that most police would need an incredible amount of support to take on,” she said.
The funding to cover that has been “charted out for years,” but she asked for more because there will be events in South Jersey related to the matches in Philadelphia, as well those in North Jersey near MetLife Stadium.
Is there a next time?
Sherrill said she wants to learn from this World Cup experience and has already asked Weiss to create a kind of postmortem analysis to understand the economic impact of hosting.
“We're definitely interested in tracking that and in order to understand what type of economic benefit we actually gain from it, because there are a lot of numbers being thrown around for what cities could do,” the governor said.
Sherrill said she thinks New Jersey “punches below our weight” and that nationally people “don’t realize how great it is here.” So before considering whether to host future events, she wants to see whether the tournament affects tourism by introducing people to the area who would want to return.
The governor noted that there are other major events like the Rugby World Cup and the Women's World Cup that the state might want to “use our leverage” to bid for, but she would want to do the cost benefit analysis to make sure it’s worth it.
New Jersey’s taxpayers have footed World Cup hosting bills to the tune of at least $307 million without contribution from co-host New York, according to public documents compiled by NorthJersey.com.
That report would help with “understanding what was spent, what we got from the federal government and what New York threw in,” which is necessary before making any other decisions, Sherrill said.
And if there is another “New York New Jersey” host city partnership, Sherrill said, she would expect New York to be a real partner and “have to put a lot more skin in the game for any future bids.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com:Mikie Sherrill talks cutting cost of World Cup for NJ residents
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