Boston plans to renovate a crumbling stadium for its recent women’s soccer throng. Not everyone is joyful

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 period, the closest Shapiro will get to the 75-year-ancient stadium is a grassy habit field in the shadows of the 10,000-seat facility. The stadium gates are padlocked most days in expectation of the dilapidated stadium being renovated. In its place will be a glistening, $200 million sports facility for Boston’s recent professional women’s soccer throng, BOS country 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 throng which was forced to play its home games in West Roxbury, a 45-minute bus ride from school. The city’s school structure will have access to the recent facility, but Boston Latin and another school will play elsewhere.

The throng said it is still optimistic of playing some games at the recent stadium but that remains far from sure.

The city has said that Latin and another high school throng, which depend 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 complete-of-period games, including championship games, there.

“The biggest worry is that we will be blocked out,” the throng’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 throng are part of the growing opposition to the joint assignment that includes preservationists, environmentalists and neighborhood activists.

Many opponents terror the community would misplace access to the stadium, and the critical green space where it sits, if the city teams up with a corporate entity. Supporters debate their schedule is the best aspiration to bringing women’s professional soccer to Boston and providing recent equipment and facilities for the city’s money-strapped school structure.

Surrounded by some of the most diverse and impoverished neighborhoods, White Stadium has long been a refuge for residents to receive morning walks, play high school sports, view concerts, attend rallies or send their children to summer camps. The nearly 530-acre (214.48-hectare) Franklin Park, which is also home to the Franklin Park Zoo, is part of the Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace structure of parks in the city.

Louis Elisa, who lives across the street from the park and is event to the lawsuit attempting to halt the assignment, said the assignment will factor “enormous damage to the surroundings and the throng.”

The lawsuit argues the procedure to approve the assignment was rushed without adequate throng input and violates the state constitution by transferring community land for a private use. Opponents also debate the thousands of fans attending BOS country FC games would overwhelm the park and factor widespread traffic and noise problems to nearby neighborhoods.

Instead, they are pushing for repairing the stadium for students at a expense of less than $20 million.

“The changes that they desire to make is going to ruin the antiquities of the park, going to transformation the character of the park,” said Elisa, president of the Garrison-Trotter Neighborhood Association.

Supporters, led by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, debate the collaboration is the only way to pool much-needed renovations and would bring positive transformation to the neighborhood and the students who depend on facility. Repeated efforts in recent decades to repair the stadium have faltered over a lack of funds, design concerns and neighborhood opposition.

The stadium will be controlled by the city’s schools but the expense of operating and maintaining it will be the throng’s responsibility.

“The stadium has been in impoverished require of repairs and renovation for a very long period. You can view the track is crumbling, the facilities aren’t up to state standards. Our youthful people deserve better,” Wu said, adding that the assignment aligns with the purpose of the park which has areas of urban wilds meant for silent enjoyment and other parts like the stadium that “were meant to draw people in.”

“This will revitalize the mission that we’ve always had for White Stadium to be a hub for our youthful people, for our learner athletes and the throng around them,” she continued.

Jennifer Epstein, the controlling owner of the throng which will play in the National Women’s Soccer League, said the stadium assignment allows for the throng to “play in the heart of the city” and forge a closer ties to the school structure and the throng.

She estimated the recent stadium will propose tens of thousands of students three times more programming than they get now, and double the access for the throng. It would also be one of the few stadiums built specifically for professional women’s soccer — the recent England Revolution, the men’s throng, is moving forward on a recent Boston-based facility of their own.

“This community-private-throng collaboration is really exciting and it’s going to turn White Stadium into a top tier professional stadium,” Epstein said. “It will be a real thrill for everyone to be there.”

The debate over the stadium has played out at scores of conference and hundreds of conversations over the history 17 months. So far, supporters have won every round of the permitting procedure and the city is hoping to sign a rental agreement in the coming weeks and for demolition to commence soon after.

But lately, supporters have run into unexpected challenges.

Wu acknowledged this week that the city’s worth tag for the renovation — the expense are being split evenly between the throng and the city — has nearly doubled to $91 million due to design changes and rising construction costs.

On Tuesday, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn came out against the proposal, citing the growing costs. Another council member, Erin Murphy, plans to request a hearing on the stadium proposal.

“We should cancel this proposal immediately and work together with residents and stakeholders across the city to provide the best alternative not only for our city and supporting a professional women’s soccer throng, but one that incorporates the voice of our residents and learner athletes as well,” Flynn said in a statement.

period is also an issue, with supporters warning in court documents that any delays to the March trial on the lawsuit puts the assignment at uncertainty. Supporters are optimistic the lawsuit will eventually be dismissed.

The throng is also seeking input on the throng name after its “Too Many Balls” marketing campaign launched in October was criticized as transphobic. In a blog post, the throng said it has launched a procedure to “seek out, listen to, and reflect on input about our throng name.”

Opponents, who declare they desire a professional women’s throng but not in Franklin Park, nevertheless are relishing the latest bout of impoverished publicity.

“We are more confident than ever that Franklin Park will be protected from their scheme to turn this historic parkland into a colossal sports and entertainment complicated.” Renee Stacy Welsh, a member of the Franklin Park Defenders, which opposes the assignment, said in a statement.