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White Stadium is finally getting a renovation
The revamped stadium will host Boston’s new professional women’s soccer team beginning in 2026.
White Stadium is about to get a long-overdue renovation.
Earlier this year, the National Women’s Soccer League announced that a new, as-yet-unnamed team would be debuting in Boston in 2026. Alongside that announcement came a commitment from the team’s owners, Boston Unity Soccer Partners, to transform Franklin Park’s White Stadium into a state-of-the-art professional pitch.
Last week, Boston Unity took the next step toward realizing that goal when they filed official paperwork with the Boston Planning and Development Agency, outlining their plans to breathe new life into the iconic but dilapidated Art Deco stadium.
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The renovation, slated for completion by 2026, is a partnership between Boston Unity, the City of Boston, and Boston Public Schools. The soccer club expects to spend upwards of $30 million on the project, according to a renovation proposal published in June. They plan to share the stadium with Boston Public Schools throughout the year and have pledged to create new spaces in and around it for neighborhood events and community programming.
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The 10,000-seat stadium is nestled in the northern corner of Franklin Park, flanked by Jamaica Plain to the west and Roxbury to the east. Originally constructed in 1949 to host Boston Public Schools games and events, it also played host to a Black Panther Party rally in 1969 and a funk and soul concert series in 1974.
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Since then, the stadium has fallen into disrepair. In 2013, a $45 million restoration plan lost momentum after Mayor Tom Menino left office.
Under Boston Unity’s plan, the stadium will be outfitted with new entrances, stairs, elevators, and bathrooms throughout. Concessions stands, a lounge, a press room, and a media booth will also be added. A private team area will include locker rooms, training rooms, office space for coaches and managers, and space for visiting teams. The plan also stipulates improved lighting and security, and a new rooftop shade designed to complement the stadium’s curved, white stucco facade.
Boston Unity expects to hold about 20 matches at White Stadium per year during the NWSL’s annual March-October season, mostly on weekend nights. The soccer team will also practice at the stadium up to once a week, but most of its practices will be held at a separate training facility.
The rest of the time, the city and Boston Public Schools will be free to use the stadium for sporting events, graduation ceremonies, summer camps, pop-up clinics, fundraisers, concerts, cultural and food festivals, and any number of other public events.
In addition to renovating the stadium itself, Boston Unity will develop an adjacent green space called “The Grove.” On game days, the Grove will be used for concessions. Otherwise, the space will be available for public and private events — in its June plan, Boston Unity proposed turning it into an ice skating rink or an open-air restaurant on a seasonal basis.
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There are no plans to add additional parking nearby to support the new-and-improved White Stadium. Instead, the soccer club will organize shuttles to and from nearby MBTA stations and satellite parking facilities on game days.
Back in September, Mayor Michelle Wu expressed excitement to The Boston Globe about the soccer club’s plans for White Stadium.
“The conversation kept coming back to this group really wanting to have a deep and sustained impact in our neighborhoods,” Wu told the Globe, “and not just to be loosely affiliated with the city of Boston and our fan base, but to have a strong partnership that would create opportunity in the day-to-day for Boston residents and especially young people.”
The Boston Planning and Development Agency is currently seeking local residents and business owners to advise on the White Stadium project as it progresses. Interested community members should contact Project Manager Ebony DaRosa at [email protected].
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