New England Revolution Stadium | 173 Alford Street | Boston-Everett

[Equilibria]

Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

The clubs you mention have soccer-specific stadiums, but Chicago's, Colorado's, and Dallas's are in outlying suburbs as opposed to a desirable downtown location that can maximize attendance like Orlando or DC United (two recently-built SSS, and the type that the Revs ostensibly want to build).

Columbus's stadium is downtown near the OSU campus, but they've had a lot of recent off-field ownership drama, including a near-relocation to Austin, which is the biggest reason for their poor attendance figures.

I don't know what's up with Houston.

But that's not really the point. The stadiums aren't empty - they're close to full. It's that a soccer-specific stadium only has 20,000 seats and the Revs draw close to 20,000 now when they're good. They don't need a downtown stadium to draw.

 

[Rover]

Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

I too don't see how the math work out here for Kraft to make a profit.

Only thing I could see as the slightest possibility is if the stadium was built on Harvard's land in the old Beacon rail yard and the Revs/Harvard/BU share the facility. Not sure how exactly that arrangement would work (would the Revs pay Harvard rent?) and there's probably a bunch of reasons why it wouldn't (poor transit....unless West Station comes on line!!!, traffic, NIMBY's, etc).

 

[Ruairi]

Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

But that's not really the point. The stadiums aren't empty - they're close to full. It's that a soccer-specific stadium only has 20,000 seats and the Revs draw close to 20,000 now when they're good. They don't need a downtown stadium to draw.

If Kraft builds in the city, he wont build anything less than 25k with the option to expand if needed. Yes, the revs get a good suburban crowd but how much of those tickets are comp tickets. Any time I go there are hoards of metro west kids who are there with local teams/schools.
The fort has a loyal following but overall the following seems to change as kids grow older and dads dont bring them any more.
If you move in to the city you get a different kind of fan. You get far more people who'll go regularly and become life long fans. If the team is half decent, they'll sell out a 25k stadium without need for comps to make the place look passable. This will generate excitement and also make it an easier sell to attract top designated players (who dont want to play at foxboro).
From a financial point of view, the revs can keep ticking over out in Foxboro and generate no real excitement but appreciate as an asset for Kraft or from a sporting point of view, he could invest in his franchise and try to make it something special.
Yea, this thread is probably in the wrong place.

 

[jass]

Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

Can we rename this thread as something else? Maybe "Revolution Stadium Discussion". It's a pet peeve that it's titled after one Globe article for a site that didn't end up working.

Im old enough to remember when the title was gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal

 

[JohnAKeith]

You're all bigger stadium aficionados than I so you're probably intimately aware of what's happened in South Philadelphia where they've built three stadiums to house baseball, football, hockey, and basketball games.

We were down there for the first time this weekend and I was really impressed.

It seems an interesting idea (and, to some, probably the worst nightmare possible) to put three stadiums in the same area, and I'm wondering if you ever imagine the same thing happening in Boston, but differently (given that the Garden & Fenway aren't going anywhere).

If you're not familiar with it, check it out on Wikipedia.

There was a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park and an ELO concert at the Wells Fargo Center at the same time, so I imagine the traffic was unbearable to some, but they have six lane roads to get you in and out to the major freeways. There's public transportation within walking distance, but we walked half a mile and got an Uber.

I felt the location was a bit remote but perhaps the best of the options when they planned it all out.

Would Bob Kraft want to build a small venue for Boston Uprising next to a Revolution stadium, and maybe try to convince the Celtics or Bruins to move into a new stadium there, too?

But there's no place in Boston that would fit it, no?

There now:

Wells Fargo Center: Formerly the CoreStates Center, the First Union Center, and the Wachovia Center, the Wells Fargo Center opened in 1996 and is home to the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), Philadelphia Soul (Arena Football League), and the Philadelphia Wings (National Lacrosse League). The Villanova Wildcats (NCAA basketball) play select games at the Wells Fargo Center.

Lincoln Financial Field: Known as "The Linc", Lincoln Financial Field opened in 2003 and is home to the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and the Temple Owls football team (NCAA).

Citizens Bank Park: This stadium opened in 2004 and is home to MLB's Philadelphia Phillies.

Xfinity Live!: a retail and entertainment center built just east of the site of the Spectrum at 11th Street.

Coming:

Comcast Spectator has announced plans to build a esports venue, the Fusion Arena, to support the Philadelphia Fusion in the Overwatch League. The 3,500-capacity arena will be built adjacent to the Xfinity Live! building. The arena is estimated to cost US$50 million and will be completed by early 2021. Outside of the Overwatch League games, the venue will be used for other smaller events.

 

[datadyne007]

Um, we can't even fit a soccer stadium in Boston, let alone a sports complex. And why would you leave the perfectly fine Garden that was just renovated?

 

[Coyote137]

At the current rate, we'll probably get the esports venue before the soccer stadium.

 

[tysmith95]

How about the GE/Riverworks site in Lynn?

Would be cheaper land compared to somewhere like Allston. You could add more buses from Wonderland during games, and the commuter rail stops there. Plus, the area around Lynn has a large immigrant population that is interested in soccer.

 

[BronsonShore]

The stadium situation in Philly is awful. It's completely the opposite of what ballparks and basketball/hockey arenas should be today, which is integrated into the city

 

[Equilibria]

But there's no place in Boston that would fit it, no?

This was proposed in the 60s and again in the 90s, generally centered on what is now the Seaport. We've discussed it in so many threads that I believe we have a drinking game for it .

I think folks are pretty happy with Fenway Park, and honestly I'm not sure anyone hates Gillette.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

This was proposed in the 60s and again in the 90s, generally centered on what is now the Seaport. We've discussed it in so many threads that I believe we have a drinking game for it .

I think folks are pretty happy with Fenway Park, and honestly I'm not sure anyone hates Gillette.

"The Megaplex". If I never hear that name again or relive the 2-1/2 decade old forced-death-march media debate on it I'll die happy.

 

[North Shore]

The Philly Sports Complex on the south end of Broad Street is far from ideal, nevermind adopting something similar to here.

It's a product of the 70's, when cookie cutter dual-purpose stadia were all the rage, with the original spectrum right next door to the Vet.

Because those two facilites were afloat in a seas of parking lots, there was plenty of available land to replace them with separate baseball and football stadia along with the Spectrum's replacement in the now Wells Fargo Center.

SPETA runs trains there, but traffic is an absolute nightmare and they can't run multiple events all at once. Once inside, all three places are really nice, but outside? It's nothing to be proud of.

 

[mass88]

One of the biggest benefits to the way Philadelphia setup their stadium complex is that they'll never have to worry about land to build a new stadium, or new area. Simply put the new stadium or arena on one of the adjacent parking lots and then demolish the old building and build a new parking lot in its place.

There really isn't a plot of land as close to Boston as the Philly complex is. Bob Kraft is a smart businessman who knows how to run sports teams very well - he has a cash cow with Patriots Place, so unless there's a nice land deal to be had, I doubt we're going to see the Revs getting their soccer specific stadium anytime soon.

 

[Ruairi]

This was proposed in the 60s and again in the 90s, generally centered on what is now the Seaport. We've discussed it in so many threads that I believe we have a drinking game for it .

I think folks are pretty happy with Fenway Park, and honestly I'm not sure anyone hates Gillette.

I hate Gillette.
Absolutely soulless place with a tacky bridge and lighthouse to distract from the bare bones cheapness of the rest of it. It only got worse when they put corporate boxes behind the other end zone.
Was looking around it at the stones the other night. Horrible stadium in a terrible location.

 

[Lrfox]

I hate Gillette.
Absolutely soulless place with a tacky bridge and lighthouse to distract from the bare bones cheapness of the rest of it. It only got worse when they put corporate boxes behind the other end zone.
Was looking around it at the stones the other night. Horrible stadium in a terrible location.

While I wouldn't go THAT far, I do think Gillette is the very definition of average. It definitely gets worse than Gillette in the NFL. But it's not anywhere close to the best. It has neither the character of a place like Arrowhead or Soldier's Field (and certainly not Lambeau), nor does it have either the noise amplifying effect of CenturyLink or the modern amenities of any of the stadiums that have opened in the last +/- 5 years. It's very much middle of the road. The location makes it worse (though I don't know where I'd put it in the city).

 

[sidewalks]

If Encore gets better transit access such as a commuter rail stop and a pedestrian bridge to the orange line, the land adjacent to the casino could become a fairly sensible location.

 

[stick n move]

Then you even have a water taxi to the game too. Wellington has room too on orange. Theres places outside the core.

 

[mass88]

While I wouldn't go THAT far, I do think Gillette is the very definition of average. It definitely gets worse than Gillette in the NFL. But it's not anywhere close to the best. It has neither the character of a place like Arrowhead or Soldier's Field (and certainly not Lambeau), nor does it have either the noise amplifying effect of CenturyLink or the modern amenities of any of the stadiums that have opened in the last +/- 5 years. It's very much middle of the road. The location makes it worse (though I don't know where I'd put it in the city).

One of the biggest issues, from a noise standpoint, is how open Gillette is. Seattle was smart when they built their stadium - they put in those noise amplifying roof coverings. Look at all the soccer stadiums in Europe, most of them have roof covering all of the stands and because of these roofs, it makes the atmosphere a lot better as the singing gets direct right back down onto the field.

 

[Ruairi]

One of the biggest issues, from a noise standpoint, is how open Gillette is. Seattle was smart when they built their stadium - they put in those noise amplifying roof coverings. Look at all the soccer stadiums in Europe, most of them have roof covering all of the stands and because of these roofs, it makes the atmosphere a lot better as the singing gets direct right back down onto the field.

Yup, look at the millenium stadium in Cardiff. A great location and an iconic stadium. Gillette would be passable if it was in a decent location. But it’s not.

 

[stellarfun]

The present Philadelphia sports complex has long been the site of sports venues.

The largest of these was John F. Kennedy stadium, with a seating capacity of 102,000 (perennial site of the Army Navy Game). Demolished

Veterans Stadium, for MLB and the NFL. Used between 1971 and 2003. Demolished

Spectrum. Used for NBA and NHL between 1967 and 2009. Demolished.

The only venues near the center of Philadelphia were the Convention Center, home of a NBA franchise, and demolished; Franklin Field and the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania, still in use. The Palestra is about six miles from the sports complex at the tip of South Philadelphia.

It is not as if the location of the Philadelphia sports complex was a recent, brilliant epiphany.