Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Inc.

(Updated July 2025)

More people are calling for reconsideration of the proposal to build a professional sports stadium in Franklin Park, with Boston Legacy Football Club now planning to play their inaugural season at Gillette Stadium. Most recently, the NAACP Boston Branch called for an immediate halt to the professional soccer stadium plans and expressed support for a significantly more affordable, fully-public stadium renovation that would meet the needs of Boston Public Schools students and the community. Multiple elected officials, including Massachusetts Senator Nick Collins and Representative Chynah Tyler—who represent neighborhoods abutting Franklin Park—as well as City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, have spoken out against the flawed private redevelopment proposal.

While the existing high school stadium on the site has been demolished, leaving only the signature “clam shell” wall, construction of the new stadium has still not begun, or been fully bid. Residents and advocates highlight that there is plenty of time to reconsider plans to build a fully public stadium for Boston Public Schools students and the communities around Franklin Park.

The White Stadium parcel of land sits in the middle of a historic, nationally recognized park, with no parking, surrounded by residential neighborhoods, almost a mile from the nearest train station. Questions about game-day transportation planning have gone unanswered. The proponents have issued a shifting array of restrictive rules and limitations that would subject residents to excessive regulation within their own neighborhoods, and significant concerns about traffic congestion and community disruption continue to be overlooked. Additionally, a legal challenge questioning the project remains ongoing, with an active lawsuit currently before the court.

The Franklin Park Defenders, a community-led group advocating for an alternative plan to renovate White Stadium as a public high school facility—offering a more environmentally responsible and cost-effective solution for the City—continue to highlight these critical concerns. The final cost of this project is unknown and will not be shared until the end of 2025. It has been suggested that the final cost of the City’s half of the project could reach upward of $172 million under “worst-case” contingencies.

The Franklin Park Defenders need your support now more than ever. There is still time to get this right! Support our advocacy today to help keep Franklin Park and White Stadium open, accessible, and protected for the communities that depend on them.