The cost to renovate White Stadium in Boston, where the NWSL’s 15th franchise is expected to play in 2026, has ballooned to $91 million in public spending, nearly doubling from earlier estimates.
The Boston Planning & Development Agency board approved the stadium project in July, with public costs estimated then at about $50 million. But during a recent Public Facilities Commission meeting on Nov. 20, when officials approved increased spending for a design services contract, it was revealed the cost to redevelop the aging stadium had risen to $91 million. That price tag only accounts for the city’s spending.
The spending increase was first reported by The Boston Globe on Friday.
The ownership group for the NWSL club, which this week walked back plans to be called ‘BOS Nation Football Club’ after public backlash, is expected to cover “more than half the costs” of the project, which would seemingly push the project’s cost close to $200 million.
The NWSL club did not immediately respond to questions for comment. Additionally, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office did not immediately respond to questions for this story.
The Boston expansion team has proposed renovating White Stadium in Franklin Park for their home venue, through a partnership that will see the venue used in conjunction with Boston Public Schools.
Demolition has yet to begin on the renovation. Community groups, including the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, have opposed the proposed renovation over concerns that the process was rushed, did not include enough community input and could lead to the privatization of portions of the park. On Friday, the advocacy group Franklin Park Defenders, which has close ties to the conservancy, came out against the increased spending.
It seems the project will go on as planned, with a Wu administration official telling The Globe on Friday that officials “hope to sign a lease in the coming days.”
In the statement to The Globe, the official said: “Renovating White Stadium as a home of BPS athletics and a community hub at Franklin Park is a major capital project for which the City has found a private partner to cover more than half the costs of construction and carry all the costs to operate and maintain the facility, ensuring that the Stadium never falls into ruin again. … We are confident that this project will benefit thousands of BPS student athletes, community groups, and park users for decades to come, and we hope to sign a lease in the coming days.”
The NWSL expansion club, awarded to Boston Unity Soccer Partners last year, has slowly begun to take shape in the city despite several setbacks along the way.
The citizens group filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court alleging the proposed redevelopment project would violate the state constitution by transferring public trust land to private use. The suit remains ongoing.
More recently, the club announced in October that it would be called BOS Nation FC, leading to immediate public pushback and forcing the team to consider a name change.
This week, the club hired its inaugural general manager, Domènec Guasch, who joins the NWSL after more than 15 years at FC Barcelona. Having a stadium with public support would certainly help with recruitment, which Guasch will be tasked with. In this post NWSL-draft era, BOS Nation FC will be the first expansion club to navigate recruitment without a college or expansion draft in place.
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(Photo: John Tlumacki / Getty Images)
