White Stadium Renovations Become a Cause for Concern

White Stadium renovations are coming along quickly to accommodate Boston’s new National Women’s Soccer League team, and leaving some community members and BPS students concerned about their access to their practice space.

Many Boston Public Schools have been using White Stadium as a resource for soccer, football, track and field and cross country since the stadium’s first game in 1949, and some Boston residents living in the Franklin Park area disapprove of the renovations. Many Bostonians worry that students who relied on the stadium will be kicked to the curb for the NWSL team.

To get some clarification, Teens in Print spoke to Luke Hines, a Mayor’s Office Operations Cabinet Coordinator, and Anshi Moreno Jimenez, a Mayor’s Office Policy and Strategic Planner, who directly work with Mayor Wu, and play a big role in the planning of White Stadium’s makeover.

When asked about the details of the renovation, Hines says that White Stadium “is not in the best condition” and “doesn’t really meet the needs of all of our students.” Over the years, White Stadium’s field has started to deteriorate, along with the restrooms and bleachers. Hines says that if White Stadium is going to be a sufficient resource for BPS students, it must have better practice facilities, such as a conditioning suite and a sports medicine unit. 

Hines confirmed that throughout the renovation process, the City of Boston and project planners spoke to several members of the community, including nearby residents and students. “All of those concerns and community feedback was incorporated into legal documents,  which we have the lease with the professional women’s soccer team,” he said.

Hines also said that the NWSL team can play “no more than  20 games there a year”, in order to keep the space as a resource mainly for BPS students. Moreno Jimenez also stated that the women’s soccer team wants to give students an “opportunity to explore the sports industry.”

The NWSL team’s activities at White Stadium will not take priority over students who practiced there daily. “ Even on those days when [the NWSL team] play their games, BPS will have complete access to the facility.” says Hines.

According to Hines, the City of Boston still has complete ownership of White Stadium, and the National Women’s Soccer League has access to the facility through a lease agreement.

To get a student’s perspective, I spoke to Shoshanna King, a rising sophomore at Boston Latin Academy. King stated that starting in 7th grade she used White Stadium as a resource for soccer practices, but due to the renovations she is currently unable to play there. 

On the topic of whether White Stadium was a sufficient resource for students, King said that it depended on the weather. “When it rained, part of the field would get super muddy and it would be hard to play on.” 

When asked if other students are upset by the renovations King said “I don’t feel like I’ve heard any negativity about what’s happening, more just that they’re upset they might not be able to play on it.” King also stated that her parents were “very happy about the renovation” and excited about the NWSL being able to access White Stadium in addition to BPS students. When asked about a potential relationship between BPS athletes and the women’s soccer team, King said, “having a professional team and professional players that want to meet us or help us, I think that would be really beneficial”. 

Hines stated that a lot of the conflict surrounding White Stadium’s renovations stems from the fact that most Bostonians don’t have the time or opportunity to look through all of the legal agreements concerning White Stadium, and with the way the media is covering the renovations it’s easy to fall for misinformation. 

Moreno Jimenez explained the City is currently conducting student-led meetings to discuss the  White Stadium project. Their opinions and feedback are being directly shared and known to designers. 

The planning process, lease agreement, stadium usage agreement and cost analysis breakdown for White Stadium can all be found on the City of Boston website, along with an in depth transportation plan for the public to use.