BOSTON – Mayor Michelle Wu announced Monday that Boston Unity Soccer Partners had signed a 10-year lease for the BOS Nation FC professional women’s soccer team to play at White Stadium.
Boston Unity to front over half the cost
Wu said that Boston Unity will fund more than half of the construction costs for renovating the over-75-year-old stadium. The city will remain responsible for the cost and renovation of any Boston Public School and community-use areas.
The rent for the stadium will begin at $400,000 for the first full season and increase by 3% annually. The renovation will bring nearly 500 construction jobs to the city and 300 permanent jobs, she said.
The stadium will have new locker rooms, an eight-lane track, and space for new field events such as pole vaulting. It will also help refresh other sporting facilities in the area, such as tennis and basketball courts. Parts of the stadium are set to open by the start of the National Women’s Soccer League season in March 2026, and the full stadium will be ready by December of the same year.
Extending hours of stadium
Mayor Wu also announced that the stadium will extend its hours from the current 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The newly refurbished stadium will allow the public to access it from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day or at least 15 hours per day, including on weekends.
BPS and the city will have priority for 12 major events per year before the NWSL and BPS share scheduling priorities for games. BOS Nation will play 20 games at the stadium per year.
White Stadium controversies
Residents and activists have raised concerns about the loss of critical green space in the park. Surrounded by some of the most diverse and impoverished neighborhoods, White Stadium has long been a refuge for residents to take morning walks, play high school sports, see concerts, attend rallies, or send their children to summer camps.
The nearly 530-acre Franklin Park, which is also home to the Franklin Park Zoo, is part of the Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace system of parks in the city.
Louis Elisa, who lives across the street from the park and is party to the lawsuit attempting to halt the project, said the project will cause “enormous harm to the environment and the community.”
Mayor Wu addressed the issues by announcing that the city and Boston Unity will plant over 500 trees in Franklin Park over the next few years and evenly contribute to a $500,000 community fund for the neighborhood. A dollar from each NWSL game will also go to the Franklin Park Preservation Fund. The renovations will also unveil another acre of green space that had previously been behind a fence.
Wu also addressed the ongoing issue of increased traffic and noise in the area saying that no game will start later than 8:30 p.m. and the city will be providing free electric shuttles from MBTA Red and Orange Line stations and some parking lots.
Residents file lawsuit
The stadium’s renovation has continued despite residents in the area filing a lawsuit, alleging that it is unconstitutional.
“I am upset about the way the mayor, the city of Boston, went about involving the community members,” Pamela Jones said. “It was like, this is what it is, take it or leave it. That did not sit well with me.”
“I’m a soccer fan. We’re a soccer family. I’d love to have a women’s soccer team in Boston. But it doesn’t belong in our park. White Stadium should be for our kids and for the community,” said plaintiff Carla-Lisa Caliga.
Wu acknowledged that the city’s price tag for the renovation has nearly doubled to $91 million due to design changes and rising construction costs.
The city has held public input sessions for the community to weigh in on the renovation earlier this year.