Boston, Massachusetts – A judge in Boston has rejected a legal bid by an environmental nonprofit organization to prevent the city’s incoming National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) franchise from using Franklin Park’s White Stadium as its new home. The Emerald Necklace Conservatory, along with twenty individuals, filed a lawsuit last month against the city, Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston Unity Soccer Partners LLC, and others, claiming that the proposed use of White Stadium constituted the privatization of public parkland.
In September 2023, it was announced that a new NWSL expansion team would be coming to Boston, with Boston Unity Soccer Partners and Mayor Wu stating that the franchise would share White Stadium with Boston Public Schools athletic teams. In December 2023, Boston Unity Soccer Partners submitted plans to the Boston Planning & Development Agency for the redevelopment of White Stadium. These plans included the construction of a weather canopy, curving staircases and balconies, a restaurant, and a beer garden. There was also the possibility of building a geothermal well system beneath the field.
Superior Court Judge Sarah Ellis ruled that the renovations proposed by Boston Unity Soccer Partners would significantly upgrade White Stadium from its current state of disrepair, without altering its identity as a Boston Public Schools athletic stadium or expanding its footprint beyond the stadium property. The judge dismissed the claims made by the Emerald Necklace Conservatory and plaintiffs, stating that they failed to demonstrate how the renovation would cause them irreparable harm.
The venue currently has seating for approximately 10,000 spectators, and Boston Unity Soccer Partners plans to expand the capacity to approximately 11,000. The Emerald Neck Conservancy criticized the lack of public input in the city’s decision and questioned whether the city had the authority to lease White Stadium long-term. Judge Ellis acknowledged concerns about the impact of using the renovated stadium as a professional sports venue on traffic and the surrounding neighborhood but suggested that these issues should be addressed in future community meetings.
Mayor Wu expressed her satisfaction with the court’s ruling, characterizing the lawsuit as frivolous and claiming that it would have hindered the city’s community engagement and investment in White Stadium and Franklin Park. Similarly, Boston Unity Soccer Partners welcomed the ruling, stating that it recognized the need to address decades of neglect and underuse around Franklin Park.
Residents of the neighborhoods surrounding Franklin Park, however, expressed concerns about the plan to hand control of White Stadium over to a professional sports team. Melissa Hamel, a plaintiff and resident of Jamaica Plain, emphasized the importance of renovating the stadium for the benefit of Boston Public Schools students and the local community. Sandy Bailey, the vice president of the Franklin Park Coalition, called for the resolution of traffic issues and continued public access to the stadium and park.
White Stadium, also known as George Robert White Schoolboy Stadium, was built in 1945 at a cost of $2 million, according to the Franklin Park Coalition. The new NWSL team is expected to begin playing in Boston in the spring of 2026, with the team’s name and crest to be unveiled in 2024.