The deadline is officially set for when the massive refurbishment of White Stadium must be completed by — one that city officials say they are eagerly looking forward to.
The National Women’s Soccer League on Tuesday announced it selected Boston to host an expansion team, which is slated to take the pitch at the long-neglected venue at Franklin Park in 2026.
Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female ownership group, won the expansion bid to become the league’s 15th team.
Tuesday’s official announcement comes after BUSP, in June, submitted the only response to the city’s request for proposals to lease, improve and use the stadium;s West Grandstand and adjacent areas in the park as part of a public-private partnership.
A powerhouse core of female business leaders that make up the BUSP joined a horde of local officials, owners from the other Boston professional sports teams, and excited fans, at City Hall Plaza on a blustery afternoon to celebrate winning the bid.
“Along with the world class athletes on the field, we strive to create a club of strong women who will be role models for our youth,” said the group’s controlling manager, Jennifer Epstein, pointing to the girl’s soccer team from Boston Latin Academy in attendance.
“We also intend to create an elite fan experience worthy of our unrivaled fan base,” Epstein added. “We are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment, both on and off the pitch. Community is paramount.”
Epstein, the founder of Juno Equity and a minority owner of the Boston Celtics, is spearheading BUSP with Stephanie Connaughton, strategic marketer and brand builder; Ami Danoff, co-founder and CFO of Women’s Foundation of Boston; and Ana Palmer, general partner of Flybridge Capital.
About 95% of the team will be invested by women and 40% by people of color, Epstein said. Boston Globe CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry is one of the investors.
Boston last held a professional women’s soccer team in 2017, the final season for the Boston Breakers, part of the NWSL, before it folded in 2018. The team played its matches at the roughly 4,000-seat Jordan Field in Allston.
White Stadium seats about 10,000 spectators, but BUSP’s proposal looks to increase that number to 11,000. The venue would host 20 matches between March and October, with many being played on the weekend.
BUSP expects its endeavor will have a wide range of economic benefits on the greater community. Construction would generate more than 500 jobs, and the workers would be employed onsite for two years. About 300 permanent jobs would then be created once the stadium is renovated, according to the proposal.
BUSP anticipates spending upwards of $30 million to renovate its share of the stadium. Its lease would be up to 10 years, with potential to renew.
The City of Boston would be responsible for improvements to the East Grandstand, destroyed by fire decades ago, making it unusable.
An assessment of the facility conducted earlier this year found that many spaces needed to be improved and expanded, with suggested improvements including a bigger staff office, modernized press box, improved locker rooms and an eight-lane track.
The city allocated $10.5 million to fund the stadium’s design in this fiscal year’s $4.2-billion capital plan
Not only will the project lead to a home for the city’s next NWSL team, it would also improve conditions for Boston Public Schools athletics, as many teams compete there.
This marks the first time a professional sports team will be co-housed alongside BPS athletes, Mayor Michelle Wu said. BUSP will operate and maintain the stadium’s field on behalf of BPS, allowing the district to redirect more than $400,000 to new educational programming.
The mayor recounted how the White Stadium has held world track championships among other major events.
“But for many decades, this is a venue that has been neglected and has not served the full potential of the student-athletes who continue to run, play and grow there,” Wu said. “I’m just so thankful that this ownership group approached the city to make sure we could launch this in a way that would make history, in a way that would bring people in, and in a way that would have lasting impact.”
NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman called it an “absolute privilege” to name Boston the league’s next expansion city. The San Francisco Bay Area and Utah will be joining the growing NWSL as expansion franchises next year, bringing the league 14 total teams, before Boston’s anticipated arrival two years later.
“I don’t know if that will ever happen in the future,” Berman said of adding three expansion franchises within a span of 18 months, “and I’m not sure I would wish it on us in the future because we are trying to keep up with all of the demands around us because we are clearly making up for lost time. The demand for women’s sports is here. It’s knocking down our doors.”
