The city of Boston signed a 10-year lease with a new professional women's soccer team for the historic White Stadium in Franklin Park.
During a press briefing Monday, Mayor Michelle Wu said the milestone means renovation work on the deteriorating facility can begin, starting with preparations over the next few weeks. Demolition is expected to start in late January.
"This renovation project and ongoing lease arrangement will make White Stadium the anchor for citywide youth sports access, revitalize community programming, deliver needed ongoing investments into our beloved historic Franklin Park, all 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 Boston Public Schools, which has used it for football practices.
However, the aging venue has fallen into disrepair because the school district has been unable to keep up with maintenance costs.
Crumbling foundations, outdated lighting, plumbing and HVAC systems, and a fire that severely damaged the east grandstand over 30 years ago have rendered portions of the stadium unusable.
The city is working with Boston University Soccer Partners, the organization that owns the new soccer team, to fund the renovation.
The plans call for about 11,000 seats, separate facilities for student-athletes and the soccer team, a crescent-shaped building providing food and beverage services for game days and other updates.
The city will retain ownership of the stadium, which will be used by Boston Public Schools athletic teams, graduations, and community events such as musical performances, neighborhood celebrations and other events.
The soccer team will lease it for up to 20 game days per year, as well as a team practice session in the week prior to each game. Games will not be scheduled on more than two weekends in a four-week period.
Wu said Monday that the project will dramatically increase community access to the stadium. The current state of the facility limits its use both for the public and for student-athletes because the sports leagues will not allow it to be used for track meets or games. The newly renovated venue will include a regulation, eight-lane track and be used for Boston Public Schools programming for at least 700 hours per year.
BPS Cross Country Head Coach Hatim Jean-Louis said the new facilities would make a tremendous difference for his athletes. Currently, he said, he frequently has to ask the city to turn the lights on at the stadium for practices, and athletes have to put their backpacks in his car to keep them safe.
"People seem to forget, it's about the kids," he said. "We want to say thank you again for making sure that the kids get what they deserve."
When not in use for an event, the stadium and track will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily for informal community use.
The 10-year lease, with options for two 10-year extensions, provides for a number of community benefits funded by the team. In addition to paying more than half of the construction costs, BUSP will rent the space for $400,000 per year, starting in the first year it is operational, with a 3% annual increase, and will share 10% of advertising revenue, 10% of naming rights revenue and 3% of concessions revenue with the city.
The team will not be able to sell naming rights to the stadium itself, which will still be known as White Stadium, Wu said, but may 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 into a Franklin Park Preservation Fund. The team and the city have pledged to plant 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 renew White Stadium as our club's home pitch is so exciting to our team because of this unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference in our community."
The White Stadium project has met opposition from both neighbors and some in city government. The Franklin Park Defenders, a group of individual residents, along with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, filed a lawsuit against the city early this year in an attempt to stop it. They contend the project would enrich a private organization at the expense of community access.
While the Franklin Park Defenders asked the court to stop the project until the case was settled, a judge declined to do so. The lawsuit's trial is scheduled to begin on March 18, 2025.
In addition, last week, City Councilor Ed Flynn publicly called for the project to be canceled entirely, citing increased cost estimates.
Initially, the city had said its portion of 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, through the design process, the plans have changed significantly due in large part to community feedback. She said the $91 million also includes about $10 million for landscaping improvements to the area of the park around the stadium, which were not included in the initial estimate.
The team's side of the stadium renovations are expected to be complete in time for its inaugural season to begin in March 2026. The city's portion of the facilities for BPS students is expected to be complete by the end of that year.
Once construction documents are finalized, the team and city will sign a transportation access plan agreement to minimize impacts to the neighborhood and park on game days. According to the city, this agreement 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 bike valet and a new resident parking permit system near the stadium, among other protections.