BOSTON – Mayor Michelle Wu announced Monday that Boston Unity Soccer Partners has signed a 10-year lease for professional women’s soccer team BOS Nation FC to play at White Stadium.
Boston Unity will cover more than half of the costs
Wu said Boston Unity will finance more than half of the construction costs for the renovation of the more than 75-year-old stadium. The City remains responsible for the costs and renovation of all Boston Public School and community spaces.
Rent for the stadium starts at $400,000 for the first full season and increases 3% annually. The renovation will bring nearly 500 construction jobs to the city and 300 permanent jobs, she said.
The stadium will have new changing rooms, a roller coaster track and space for new field events such as pole vaulting. It will also help refresh other sports facilities in the area, such as tennis and basketball courts. Parts of the stadium are expected to open at the start of the National Women’s Soccer League season in March 2026, with the entire stadium to be completed by December of the same year.
Extending the opening hours of the stadium
Mayor Wu also announced that the stadium will extend its operating hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The newly renovated stadium will allow public entry every day from 6am to 9pm, or at least 15 hours a day, including weekends.
BPS and the city will be prioritized for twelve major events per year before the NWSL and BPS share scheduling priorities for games. BOS Nation plays 20 matches a year in the stadium.
Controversies about the White Stadium
Residents and activists have raised concerns about the loss of crucial green space in the park. Surrounded by some of the most diverse and impoverished neighborhoods, White Stadium has long been a haven for residents to take morning walks, play high school sports, attend concerts, attend gatherings 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 Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace park system in the city.
Louis Elisa, who lives across the street from the park and is a party to the lawsuit trying to stop the project, said the project will cause “tremendous damage to the environment and the community.”
Mayor Wu addressed the issues by announcing that the city and Boston Unity will plant more than 500 trees in Franklin Park over the next few years and contribute evenly to a $500,000 community fund for the neighborhood. A dollar from every NWSL game also goes to the Franklin Park Preservation Fund. The renovations will also reveal an additional acre of green space that was previously behind a fence.
Wu also addressed the ongoing problem of increased traffic and noise in the area, saying that no games will start later than 8:30 p.m. and that the city will provide free electric shuttles from MBTA Red and Orange Line stations and some parking lots .
Residents file a lawsuit
The renovation of the stadium continues despite residents in the area filing a lawsuit claiming the renovation is unconstitutional.
“I am angry about the way the mayor of Boston is engaging community members,” Pamela Jones said. “It was like, this is what it is, take it or leave it. That didn’t sit well with me.”
“I am a soccer fan. We are a soccer family. I would love to have a women’s soccer team in Boston. But that has no place in our park. White Stadium should be for our children and for the community,” said plaintiff 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 community input sessions to think about the renovation earlier this year.
