Opposition growing in Boston over plan to renovate historic stadium for women's professional soccer
Boston is planning to renovate a crumbling stadium in one of the city's most diverse neighborhood for its new professional women's soccer team
BOSTON — As the quarterback for the storied Boston Latin Academy, Jack Shapiro has long relished playing some of his high school games at historic White Stadium.
But this season, the closest Shapiro will get to the 75-year-old stadium is a grassy practice field in the shadows of the 10,000-seat facility. The stadium gates are padlocked most days in anticipation of the dilapidated stadium being renovated. In its place will be a glistening, $200 million sports facility for Boston's new professional women's soccer team, BOS Nation FC, starting in 2026.
“We’re all a little disappointed not to have our home this year,” said Shapiro, quarterback and safety for the high school team which was forced to play its home games in West Roxbury, a 45-minute bus ride from school. The city’s school system will have access to the new facility but Boston Latin and another school will play elsewhere.
The team said it is still hopeful of playing some games at the new stadium but that remains far from certain.
The city has said that Latin and another high school team, which rely on White Stadium for home games, will have to play elsewhere due to potential damage to the playing surface from cleats. But they have promised that all city schools could play end of season games, including championship games, there.
«The biggest worry is that we will be blocked out,» the team's coach, Rocco Zizza, said as he stood outside the stadium. “In many ways, what is behind us will not only be a monument for high school football but also maybe a tombstone.”
Shapiro and his team are part of the growing opposition to
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