By Abbi Holt

Edited by Margaret Dalton

In all the discourse around the renovation of White Stadium and the pro soccer team that would share the field with the Boston public schools, the perspective I have yet to see is my own, one of a neighbor who is excited about the project. When I first heard that the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) was looking to expand in Boston I just assumed it would be in a suburban area that was only marginally accessible by public transit. The NE Revolution, despite many attempts at an urban stadium, still play at Gillette, far into the suburbs. Imagine my surprise (and delight) when I heard it would be within walking distance of my house in Boston!  

Let’s be clear, some of the concerns expressed by the soccer commentators and other neighbors are valid.  As soccer commentators noticed, the stadium is on the small side and parking would be accessed via satellite areas and shuttle buses, but it would be, for many Bostonians, an easy walk, public transit ride, or bike ride.  And some soccer concerns have even been addressed: the field is now 75 meters wide thanks to the planned demolition of one side of the stadium and student American football teams, who can damage professional level turf, will only get access to the field in their postseason, after the soccer season is over.  

From the slides for the Feb. 12th Alignment with the Franklin Park Action Plan Meeting

As for the neighbors, most of the local coverage has focused on their concerns and the lawsuit brought by a local conservancy group.  I’ll be honest I don’t know how to evaluate the merits of the suit although reading through the legal documents, it seems like a stretch.  I suspect the pushback the lawsuit represents has more to do with both an understandable frustration with the Wu administration’s tendency to move too quickly and the historic neglect of this area of Boston by all authorities than the merits of the case.  It is also worth noting that this lawsuit targets Mayor Wu personally and Boston’s many excellent women of color in leadership have faced a long-standing and constant barrage of personal attacks.  

Coverage of neighbors has discussed at length worries about parking and traffic, ignoring the apparent majority of neighbors who support the project as shown in a recent survey, but some of those worries have been at least partially addressed. The investors have offered a parking plan that will make the event much less intrusive than many events held at the stadium now and the city is proposing a resident-only parking zone for game days that should keep parking at bay, much as it does in the areas around BC on football game days.  

The unaddressed concern remains that spectators from the suburbs will not want to take shuttle buses to the stadium and might stay away all together if they can’t drive.  We certainly won’t know the answer to this until the stadium is operational, but that has not stopped suburban spectators from finding ways to get to Fenway park where parking is very limited.  

What this location does offer, though, is a chance to embed a team into diverse and vibrant neighborhoods which would be only a short distance away from the stadium, and a way to share a state-of-the-art facility with the public through school and community programs.  As a teacher and a Bostonian, the rehab of one of BPS’s largest facilities makes this plan all the more appealing. If the organization can build a real connection to the surrounding Black, Brown and Queer communities, this could be a powerful model for an urban club. It’s time to start thinking about who the location will advantage and not just focus on the inconvenience that might be presented to the Boston suburbs.  

And if the team and the city fail to live up to its promises to the communities around the stadium I will be one of the first there to remind them and I won’t be the only one.  All parties would be wise to remember the Boston area students who held TD Garden accountable for its failed promises.