The city of Boston signed a 10-year lease with a new professional women’s soccer team for Franklin Park’s historic White Stadium.
During a news conference Monday, Mayor Michelle Wu said the milestone means renovation work on the deteriorating facility can begin, starting with preparations in the coming weeks. Demolition is expected to begin at the end of January.
“This renovation project and ongoing lease agreement will make White Stadium the anchor for access to youth sports throughout the city, revitalize community programming, provide much-needed continued investment in our beloved historic park of Franklin, while creating a home for the City of Champions’ newest professional team,” Wu said.
White Stadium, built in 1945 in Franklin Park, is maintained by the Boston Public Schools, which has used it for football practice.
However, the aging facility has fallen into disrepair because the school district has been unable to meet maintenance costs.
Crumbling foundations, outdated lighting, plumbing and HVAC systems and a fire that severely damaged the East Stand more than 30 years ago have left parts of the stadium unused.
The city is working with Boston University Soccer Partners, the organization that owns the new soccer team, to fund the renovation.
The The plans call for around 11,000 placesseparate facilities for student-athletes and the football team, a crescent-shaped building offering game-day food and beverage services and other upgrades.
The city will retain ownership of the stadium, which will be used by Boston Public Schools sports teams, graduations and community events such as musical performances, neighborhood celebrations and other events.
The football team will rent it for up to 20 match days a year, as well as one team training session the week before each match. Games will not be scheduled on more than two weekends in a four-week period.
Wu said Monday the project will dramatically increase community access to the stadium. The current state of the facility limits its use for both the public and student-athletes because sports leagues will not allow it to be used for track competition or games. The newly renovated venue will include an eight-lane regulation track and will be used for Boston Public Schools programming for at least 700 hours a year.
BPS Cross Country Head Coach Hatim Jean-Louis said the new facilities would make a huge difference to his athletes. Currently, he said, he often has to ask the city to turn on the stadium lights for practices, and athletes have to put their backpacks in their cars to keep them safe.
“People seem to forget, it’s about the kids,” she said. “We want to thank you again for making sure children get what they deserve.”
When not in use for an event, the stadium and track will be open from 6 am to 9 pm daily for informal community use.
The 10-year lease, with options for two 10-year extensions, provides for a number of team-funded community benefits. In addition to paying more than half of the construction costs, BUSP will rent the space for $400,000 a year, beginning in the first year of operation, with a 3% annual increase, and will share 10% of advertising revenue, 10% of income from naming rights and 3% of income from concessions with the city.
The team won’t be able to sell naming rights to the stadium itself, which will still be known as White Stadium, Wu said, but it can sell naming rights to the field, scoreboard and other parts of the facility .
The team will also pay $500,000 annually into a community fund to support local organizations, and $1 from every ticket sold will go to a Franklin Park Preservation Fund. The team and the city have committed to planting more than 500 trees in Franklin Park in the coming years.
BUSP’s portion of the project is expected to create up to 500 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs.
“At their core, sports teams are community assets, and we understand that this club belongs to the city and that we are merely stewards of a public trust,” said BUSP founder Jennifer Epstein. “The opportunity to renovate White Stadium as our club ground is very exciting for our team because of this unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference in our community.”
The White Stadium project has found opposition from both the neighbors and some of the city government. The Franklin Park Defenders, a group of individual residents, along with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, filed a lawsuit against the city earlier this year to try to stop it. They claim the project would enrich a private organization at the expense of community access.
While the Franklin Park Defenders asked the court to halt the project until the case was resolved, a the judge refused to do so. The trial of the suit is scheduled to begin on March 18, 2025.
Additionally, last week City Councilman Ed Flynn publicly called for the project to be canceled entirely, citing increased cost estimates.
The city had initially said its share of the construction would cost about $50 million, but this month, Wu said that estimate had nearly doubled to about $91 million, sparking renewed opposition.
Wu said Monday that the increased estimate was not unexpected because, during the design process, plans have changed significantly due in large part to community feedback. He said the $91 million also includes about $10 million for landscaping improvements to the park area around the stadium, which were not included in the original estimate.
Renovations to the team’s stadium are expected to be completed in time for their inaugural season to begin in March 2026. The city portion of the facility for BPS students is expected to be completed at the end of this year.
Once construction documents are finalized, the team and the city will sign a transportation access plan agreement to minimize impacts to the neighborhood and the park on game days. According to the City, this deal will include free electric shuttles for ticket holders from MBTA Red and Orange Line stations and satellite parking lots, a new Bluebikes station, bike parking and valet parking of bicycles and a new parking permit system for residents near the stadium, among others. protections