Leicester City's Premier League-winning full-back Christian Fuchs has announced plans to open a 1,000-seater esports arena in New York.

Speaking at SportsPro Live 2019 in London, the former Austria international revealed that he had purchased a 36-acre complex comprising 70 buildings for the development, which will include a hotel and the US city’s first dedicated competitive gaming venue.

Fuchs, 33, became the first Premier League player to launch his own esports outfit back in June last year with a FIFA team under his #NoFuchsGiven brand.

“One of my big goals right now is that I will build an esports arena in New York,” Fuchs confirmed.

“We are in talks with partners right now. It’s a very exciting project. It’s definitely the future to have those dedicated esports arenas around. In America where esports is probably still a little bit bigger than it is here, there are a lot of areas to exploit.”

The competitive gaming industry is predicted to break the US$1 billion mark for the first time in 2019, according to research firm Newzoo, with the North American market expected to contribute US$409.1 million to that revenue projection.

Various plans for dedicated esports venues have been put in motion across the US over the past year, with media giant Comcast Spectator the most recent to announce plans to build a US$50 million arena to house its Philadelphia Fusion Overwatch League franchise.