Some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve seen from our community engagement are below:

No. The City of Boston and Boston Public Schools continue to own the stadium; the White Stadium renovation project will not result in the land being privately owned. The public-private partnership requires BUSP to lease a portion of the stadium from the City of Boston. BUSP will contribute to renovation and maintenance costs, pay annual rent, share revenues with the city, and provide community benefits.

After decades of wear and negligence, including damage from a fire in the 1990s, the stadium will undergo its first comprehensive renovation since it opened in 1949. Afterwards, its availability to the public will more than double from current hours.

You can read more about this, including the terms of the lease, from the city of Boston here.

Everyone is welcome. After the renovation, White Stadium - including the field, track, open seating in the stands, and the lawn area of the Grove - will be open to the public 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, or 105 hours/week. That’s a big increase from its current operating hours, 7 AM to 4 PM on weekdays, or 45 hours/week. The city will also be able to comfortably host big community events in the facility such as concerts like BAMS Fest, BPS graduations, workshops, movie nights, youth sports festivals, and more. And the renovation will add public bathrooms and water fountains to serve the playstead.

No. In fact, just like any professional sports team, the vast majority of the time the club will be at a separate practice facility (location TBD). The club will play 15 regular season games at White Stadium. Our agreement with the city allows us to host up to 20 games in total (allowing for playoff games in addition to the 15 regular season games) and 20 practices, which are intended to give both teams a chance to be in the stadium and get a feel for the conditions before each game. Per our usage agreement with the city, the stadium will still be open to the public in the morning before game days, and practices can’t last more than 4 hours. 

Football will still be played at White Stadium after the renovation with just as many hours - White Stadium is currently home to two BPS football teams and a total of 10-12 football games every season. The plan is for all late-season games to take place there. Football practices and earlier games in the season will be at one of multiple other fields that the city is investing in and renovating (eg. Clemente, Clifford Park) but there will be more resources for football with this partnership too.

BPS will maximize the number of football games that could be played at White Stadium and guarantee that White Stadium will be able to host football games after the NWSL season for Thanksgiving rivalry games and marquee playoff matchups. 

Yearly BPS programming hours will go from 250 hours/year to at least 700 hours/year. There will be a significant increase in both BPS soccer and track & field use, which will also significantly increase opportunities for female student-athletes by vastly expanding access beyond football. The planned MIAA standard 8-lane track will host meets and the renovation will expand indoor facilities for students with a strength and conditioning suite, sports medicine resources, and study areas. 

There are two narrow legal questions being asked: can the land White Stadium is on within Franklin Park be used for private purposes, and does the George R. White Trust have the authority to make a deal like this.

Last March, a judge already denied a preliminary injunction against the planned renovation of Franklin Park's White Stadium. There will be a trial to answer the two legal questions above on March 18, 2025.

Construction will remove 145 trees. However, the city’s licensed arborist performed a thorough inspection of the trees, and determined 115 of those trees needed to be removed regardless - 35 trees were dead, dying, or diseased; 40 trees were invasive or non-native species; and another 40 trees were growing into structures like walls and fences. You can see the city’s extensive report and watch the community meeting held about the trees here.

BUSP will also plant more than 500 trees throughout Franklin Park to improve its ecological health and the local tree canopy. Construction guidelines include a tree protection plan to ensure that existing healthy trees are safeguarded during the renovation process.

The club and the city have gone through an extensive community input process that includes hundreds of hours of meetings with stakeholders and over 1,000 public comments.

Of the more than 700 people who responded to the Franklin Park Coalition’s survey from Feb 20 to March 8 in 2024, 56% were in support of it, 25% had some concerns, and 20% opposed it.

Community engagement is still ongoing. BUSP and the City of Boston are still talking to neighbors, civic leaders and elected officials, ensuring that input from the community is reflected in every aspect of the design. To date, BUSP and the City have met with dozens of community leaders, neighbors, and business and civic officials, including:

Yes. BUSP complied with all review requirements, including a request for proposal, or RFP process. The city made an RFP request that was open to any and all interested parties in April, 2023. The club was the only party to respond in the 60-day opportunity period.

BUSP also got approvals from six different city agencies, including the Parks Commission, the Landmarks Commission, and the Zoning Commission. Each one of these proceedings entailed numerous design and operational studies and presentations.

The City of Boston and BUSP have been continuously listening to community and stakeholder feedback on transportation and parking during this planning process.

We plan to:

While the city of Boston has cited a $91M estimate on their end, they still have to go through a public bidding process. BUSP has committed to contributing over 50% of the total construction costs, backed by significant financial safeguards to ensure that costs are contained and the project moves forward without overly burdening taxpayers.

BUSP has committed to funding a $25 million escrow account for construction costs to ensure that the project remains on track, and is subject to a $45M pre-financing guaranty that means BUSP is responsible for ensuring construction tasks in the lease agreement are completed. These measures provide significant protections to the City, guaranteeing that the renovations will be completed as planned.