Connect with us

Boston, MA

Flynn: Nickerson Field would make great soccer team site

Published

1 year ago

on

Flynn: Nickerson Field would make great soccer team site


With a newly signed lease agreement between the City of Boston and Boston Unity Soccer Partners, I am calling for the city and BOS Nation FC to instead explore running their operations out of Nickerson Field at Boston University. This is an ideal location for a professional women’s soccer team due to a large capacity of nearly 10,000 seats, its proximity to the Green Line train and local restaurants and establishments, while already having the necessary infrastructure and a potential fan base in place.

With a potential partnership with Boston University for use of Nickerson Field, the team could save nearly $100 million that could be used toward a rental agreement with the university and helping to fund the MBTA, while the City of Boston could save approximately $70 million on a White Stadium proposal that focuses solely on student athletes and residents.

Despite considerable community opposition, as well as projected costs jumping from $50 million to now $91 million so far for the city, and approximately $182 million for the project overall – the city has moved forward and signed the lease for White Stadium. These fiscal issues are in addition to previous concerns highlighted by neighbors, civic organizations and I – including lack of a thorough community process, the use of public land for private organizations, and now the practicality of two professional soccer stadiums in close proximity with the New England Revolution proposal in Everett. All of these issues could potentially be resolved if White Stadium was renovated solely for student athletes instead, and Boston Unity Soccer Partners utilized Nickerson Field – a field that has already been approved by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

Prior to BOS Nation FC, Boston’s professional soccer team was the Boston Breakers. The original Breakers played from 2009 to 2012, when the league they played in folded. The Breakers then joined the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and played from 2013-2017, and also folded shortly thereafter.

Advertisement

It is important that the city supports women’s professional sports and a new professional soccer team. As such, Nickerson Field would provide nearly 10,000 seats, and a state-of-the-art field that stands as one of only 10 artificial fields in the United States that has a FIFA 2-Star certification.

Nickerson Field’s proximity to the Green Line will allow fans to easily access the stadium, reduce automobile traffic at the proposed site, and save on our carbon footprint from congestion. The Field is also located in Allston, where there are ample local businesses, restaurants, bars, and retail stores that could support spectators, bolster those businesses, and increase revenue for the city. Allston is also where many of our young people and students live, especially international students, who may also look forward to the prospect of having a women’s soccer team in Boston. The tens of thousands of students in the area could provide additional support for their fan base.

At the same time, while the city debated a property tax shift for the better part of last year and did not cut our budget – potentially investing over $100 million in a stadium renovation and creating a successful venture carries significant risks. Reports estimate the cost to renovate White Stadium for the sole purpose of high school and residential use is $20 million. Boston Public School (BPS) student athletes deserve to have a stadium that can be used year round, especially during warmer months and weekends that would be impacted if shared with a professional soccer team. If a similar renovation was completed, that alone would save the City of Boston approximately $70 million and provide Boston with a dedicated use of its stadium – a win for the taxpayers and Boston Public School students.

While we welcome the return of a professional women’s soccer team to Boston, it is critical that we acknowledge the risk of investing almost $100 million in White Stadium for a private-public partnership that was intended for the residents of Boston. Nickerson Field is a natural fit with the existing field and capacity for a professional team, accessibility for fans, and local establishments in close proximity. We need to do our due diligence on available options like this before we risk potentially $100 million or more of taxpayer funds.

Ed Flynn is a Boston City Councilor representing District 2

Advertisement



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Boston, MA

Boston Police Department mourns death of active-duty officer of 30+ years

Published

4 hours ago

on

February 3, 2026

By

Boston Police Department mourns death of active-duty officer of 30+ years


A Boston police officer with more than three decades on the job died Friday following an extended sick leave, the Boston Police Department announced.

The police department is mourning Officer Scott J. MacIsaac, the department said in a press release announcing his death. The department did not specify MacIsaac’s age or cause of death.

MacIsaac joined the department on June 28, 1995, the department said. Prior to taking extended sick leave, he most recently spent six years working in District E-5 — West Roxbury and Roslindale.

MacIsaac also served in districts B-2 — Roxbury, A-7 — East Boston, B-3 — Dorchester and Mattapan and C-6 — South Boston during his tenure at the Boston Police Department, the department said.

Advertisement

MacIsaac received many “commendations and accolades” over the years, including recognition for robbery, car break-in and assault arrests in South Boston, the department said. One comment from his supervisor characterized MacIsaac as one of their best officers, while another from a district captain commended his efforts during the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013.

MacIsaac has also been recognized for saving lives, such as during an incident in which he helped stop a person from jumping off a bridge, the department said. During another critical incident, he revived a person through CPR, and they survived.

Commendations from outside the police department include thank you letters from the parents of a youth he counseled, an elected official for MacIsaac’s efforts to improve public safety in East Boston and an assistant district attorney for the officer’s help in prosecuting a suspect who stole a car and tried to run MacIsaac down.

“Clearly, Officer MacIsaac made a great impact in the communities he served,” the release reads. “Officer MacIsaac was highly regarded by those he worked with, his supervisors and all who knew him, both within the Department and by those we serve.”

The department did not provide information about funeral arrangements. No further information about MacIsaac’s death has been released.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Photos from the 2026 Beanpot semifinal between Boston University and Northeastern on February 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Mass.

Published

16 hours ago

on

February 3, 2026

By

Photos from the 2026 Beanpot semifinal between Boston University and Northeastern on February 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Mass.




Source link

Continue Reading

Boston, MA

Major carsharing service shutting Boston office and laying off dozens of staff

Published

1 day ago

on

February 2, 2026

By

Major carsharing service shutting Boston office and laying off dozens of staff


The car-sharing company Zipcar will close its Boston headquarters, ending local operations in the place where it was founded.

Its owner, the car rental company Avis Budget Group, said it is “consolidating Zipcar’s headquarters” into its global home base in Northern New Jersey “as part of a broader effort to enhance Zipcar’s long-term operational effectiveness.”

“As a result, Zipcar will no longer maintain a separate corporate office in Boston,” a spokesperson for Avis Budget Group said Monday.

The company plans to lay off 65 employees in Boston by April, according to a notice it filed with Massachusetts state officials last week.

Advertisement

Zipcar was founded in Cambridge in 1999 and debuted there and in Boston the next year. The company expanded in the years that followed and by 2009 was the world’s largest car-sharing service, according to NBC News. Avis bought Zipcar in 2013.

“Zipcar was founded in Boston and the city has been an important part of its history since then,” the company spokesperson said. “This consolidation reinforces Zipcar’s foundation and positions the business to continue serving members reliably well into the future.”

The move will not affect service for Zipcar’s members, the spokesperson added.

In addition to the 65 Boston-based employees, the company will lay off approximately 61 remote workers elsewhere in the country, the Boston Business Journal reported.

Zipcar’s regional field and fleet operations teams will remain in Boston and other cities after the headquarters closes “to support members and day-to-day service without interruption,” the Avis spokesperson said.

Advertisement

Brian Shortsleeve, a Republican candidate for governor, said Zipcar’s move was the result of Massachusetts’ taxes and regulations on business.

“Massachusetts is becoming a place where even homegrown success stories can’t afford to stay,” he wrote in a post on X.

The announcement came the same week that Panera Bread said it would lay off 92 employees at its bakery in Franklin and that life sciences company Thermo Fisher Scientific said it would lay off 103 employees and close a facility, also in Franklin.

The Campbell’s Company also said Thursday it would close the Hyannis manufacturing plant of the beloved Cape Cod potato chip brand. The company will lay off 49 people, it said.

“These are not isolated decisions. They are rational business responses to a state that has become increasingly expensive, unpredictable, and hostile to employers,” said Paul Diego Craney, executive director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, a conservative business organization. “High taxes, crushing energy costs, and rigid Net Zero climate mandates are making it harder every day for companies to justify staying in Massachusetts.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending