A potential renovation of White Stadium is currently under review by the Boston Planning and Development Agency, a change that will establish it as the home field for Boston’s new National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team while it continues hosting community events and serving as a resource for Boston Public Schools students.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2025, and two parts of the stadium will be the focus of the renovation: the Grove, an area in front of the stadium that will contain amenities such as food, beverages and tents for people to gather together in, and the West Grandstand, a gathering space and the entry point for the stadium.

Currently, the stadium is used for the practices and games of BPS students and for general public benefit. 

There have been worries that the school system’s athletics will be displaced after the stadium is redone. Annabelle Bagley (III) voices her uncertainty, saying, “When I first heard about the renovation of White Stadium, I was worried that we’ll no longer be able to use it for our Boston Latin School vs. Boston Latin Academy football game.” The annual and widely attended BLS vs. BLA football game occurs at White Stadium, hosting not only the football players but also the cheer team, pep-band,  step-squad and the larger school audiences. Concerned students and families will be happy to hear that BPS is still supposed to have plenty of time allotted for schools at White Stadium after the reconstruction. BLA, however, will have to briefly relocate during development, but they will be able to return after the renovations have been completed.

The changes will provide a modernized structure with many new facilities to the Mattapan, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and Dorchester area. BLS girls’ varsity soccer coach Jon Rudzinski largely supports the plan and believes that the renovation will bring huge positive change. He notes, however, that while many are excited, “clearly there is and will be some neighborhood opposition. Many people oppose any local development, often for spurious reasons. The question will be whether the NWSL franchise and the City administration […] can successfully navigate any neighborhood opposition to deliver the goods.”

For many fans of the NWSL, an exciting prospect that will come from the redoing of White Stadium is the creation of Boston’s NWSL team. The NWSL, founded only in 2012, is a relatively new 14-team league, with several teams joining in the coming years. Boston’s NWSL team will have the completed White Stadium as their home field when they make their appearance in the 2026 season.

In the past, Boston had a professional women’s soccer team called the Boston Breakers, but in 2018, they were dissolved when the team failed to be sold to the New England Revolution or any other buyers. Their failure was largely chalked up to the unsuccessful and practically nonexistent marketing of the team. Such a legacy makes people question if the new team will face similar problems.

Like many people, BLS girls’ junior varsity soccer coach Cleo Woodcock is excited for the new women’s soccer team. Living close by to the stadium, she believes that the renovations will be great for the students of the city’s athletic groups.

Coach Woodcock comments, “It is close to where a lot of students live, and I think that all of the students who get to use it will find it much more convenient than some of the current alternatives. […] And, if they are already using it, it will be a better experience than what they are currently having.” Since White Stadium is already so widely used by both BPS and the community that lives near the area, the location should not be a problem for the student’s use.

On January 31, BPS held an open meeting for student-athlete to address comments, concerns or suggestions about this renovation and the goal to up Boston sports participation to its suburban counterparts. A Strength condition center, student lounge, student locker rooms, sports medicine center and team banquet spaces in the East Granstand of the stadium were all part of the plans focused entirely on BPS athletes. 

For sports, in particular, there will be a regulation-sized soccer field that will be well-maintained and can facilitate games of many sports, such as football and lacrosse. An eight-lane track  along with areas for field events — long jump, pole vault and shot put, for example — will also be added so that the stadium can be home to track teams. 

Overall, White Stadium’s revitalization should provide an improved facility for BPS while giving Boston a NWSL team to celebrate, one that will have close connections to the community they find in their newly redone home field.