As the World Cup concludes, local insiders agree that a nearly billion-dollar dual-pronged stadium push is the key to sustaining soccer’s momentum across Greater Boston.
Following a massive economic surge, the question facing the Commonwealth is clear: How does Massachusetts capture this month-long, cross-cultural energy to cement soccer’s place at the forefront of the region’s sports landscape?
The answer lies in abandoning Gillette Stadium in Foxboro for a “more accessible” future home, according to executives from the city’s professional soccer teams, the MLS’s New England Revolution and the NWSL’s Boston Legacy FC.
All seven World Cup matches in Foxboro sold out, drawing a combined total crowd of nearly 450,000. But the authentic, rowdy atmosphere from the international fanbases has not been present during the Revolution season so far.
Ahead of the tournament break, the Revolution saw home attendance plummet by 16% from prior campaigns, with 18,610 fans per match, the Sports Business Journal reported in late May.
Cathal Conlon, the Revolution’s vice president of marketing and public relations, has acknowledged that playing in a nearly 66,000-seat NFL stadium is a roadblock to the Revolution gaining more passionate fans.
“We’ve had this circled as a potential tipping point for the growth in the game since the bid was awarded,” Conlon told the Herald of the World Cup’s impact on the growth of soccer.
“You take our average crowds, and you put them into a building designed to have that capacity,” he added, “and it just changes the dynamic. It is hard to generate that full passion in a venue that has so many empty seats.”
To carry the World Cup momentum forward, the team is aggressively courting casual fans. Last week, the front office launched a marketing campaign titled “Thanks World, We’ll Take It From Here,” featuring Revolution and U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Matt Turner, fresh off his second FIFA World Cup.
The long-term remedy to changing soccer culture here, the team says, is the Everett stadium project: A privately funded, 25,000-seat venue slated to be built on a decommissioned power station site along the Mystic River.
Last New Year’s Eve, the Kraft Group reached a $91.7 million community impact agreement with Everett and a separate $48 million mitigation package with Boston. The pacts are the backbone of the project’s blueprint.
The $500 million plan is navigating the formal Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act review process.
Boston-based sports attorney Joe Rosen believes an urban shift is mandatory for MLS to have a fighting chance in survival against European league giants.
“You can’t change the fact that they don’t have the best players in the world, but they still have very good players,” Rosen told the Herald. “What you can change is where they are playing these games. If you can make this a more energetic, familial, closer space, like it is in Europe, that’s going to go a long way.”
To prove his point, Rosen highlighted NESN broadcaster Tom Caron, an investor and part-owner of the Portland Hearts of Pine, a professional soccer club based in Maine. The team plays its home matches at a stadium that features a capacity of 5,500.
“All of their games are sold out. It’s crazy, even when it’s cold. A lot of it has to do with the venue,” Rosen said. “This is the most popular sport in the world. These types of projects are ways to capitalize.”
Fans agree that atmosphere is everything.
Cameron Corey, a longtime youth soccer coach who plays recreationally in Boston, believes casual supporters won’t commit to a diluted matchday experience.
“People want to see themselves in the team; they want to see themselves in a winning team,” Corey told the Herald. “They don’t want to see themselves in a team that fills up half of Gillette Stadium.”
Paul Romeo, owner of the Koko Fit Club in Needham and a self-described “typical Boston sports fan,” added: “We are kind of spoiled here in Boston. If the Revs are middling, it’s going to be tough to get a fanbase that’s really behind them.”
Leaving Foxboro has sparked a culture clash.
Kirsty DiSipio, a West Roxbury resident and board member of the Parkway Soccer Club, warned that ditching the suburbs could alienate traditional tailgaters, and moving to the city could cause a traveling nightmare.
“There aren’t enough parking spaces for tailgating,” DiSipio said of the Everett site, “and tailgating is a huge part of the full Revolution experience. … It’s going to be too much of a hassle as opposed to just driving over to Gillette. They’re going to lose a lot of people.”
As the Revolution look north to Everett, Boston’s new NWSL expansion franchise, Legacy FC, is laying foundations in the heart of the city.
The club drew 30,000 fans to its inaugural home opener at Gillette Stadium in March, but the franchise is actively preparing for its permanent move.
Construction is progressing on the $325-million redevelopment of White Stadium in Franklin Park. The 11,000-plus-seat venue, slated to open in 2027, is a public-private partnership funded by $135 million from the city and $190 million from the club’s female-founded ownership group.
The massive project is currently navigating a pivotal legal challenge before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Spearheaded by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and nearby residents, opponents argue that the shared-use lease effectively privatizes public parkland, violating Article 97 of the state constitution. The City of Boston maintains that the venue remains a public facility.
Amina Bulman, Chief Revenue Officer for Boston Legacy FC, sees an accessible urban stadium as the ultimate tool to invite new demographics into the fold.
“Right now, it’s not that easy to be a soccer fan in the United States; it could be challenging to get to venues in person,” Bulman said. “The more that we can lower the barriers to accessibility for professional soccer, the more we’re going to see the growth of this sport take off.”
In the meantime, the Legacy are looking to capitalize on the soccer wave.
On Sunday, the team will host a “Global Celebration of Soccer” at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, where fans can watch the World Cup final on the big screen, immediately followed by a live NWSL clash against the Washington Spirit, led by USWNT star Trinity Rodman.
“So many Bostonians got a taste for global soccer culture,” Bulman said, “and we have the opportunity to build on that in our own backyard.”
Soccer advocates stress that true accessibility requires addressing the sport beyond the professional gates.
In Massachusetts, the dominant youth system remains a costly “pay-to-play” model where elite year-round club fees can exceed $15,000 annually.
“Money is a major barrier. It can feel really exclusive, beyond just the economics,” said Lindsey Whitford, a director at Soccer Without Borders who spent years leading community youth programs in Boston.
Whitford told the Herald that the financial burden includes steep tournament travel logistics, leaving many urban neighborhoods completely unserved.
In Chelsea, for example, there is currently no city-run recreational soccer league for youth. To combat this, Soccer Without Borders is partnering with officials to launch a dedicated initiative this fall to recruit youth, ensure they feel welcome, and leverage the post-World Cup climate.
Warren Zola, a Boston-based sports lawyer, agrees that massive private stadium investments must serve as the primary anchors of broader infrastructure. He warns that the region’s civic fundraising model requires a complete structural overhaul.
“If Boston wants to be a soccer city, the civic infrastructure for these events can’t be dependent on one-time fundraising that falls short,” Zola told the Herald. “It’s that the city, state, and private sector all need to stand in a partnership model.”
Zola added that establishing that framework and investing in recreational hubs with better-maintained pitches and indoor winter access are what separate short-term host cities from true, enduring soccer capitals.
“When the next big soccer movement comes, we’re not scrambling to raise a couple of dollars here and there,” he said. “The Marathon doesn’t need a new fundraising campaign every April – the infrastructure exists. We need that same kind of standing partnership for soccer.”
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