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

Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

Jouhou said:
They could partner with a local sports obsessed university to build a shared one I guess. I just hate giant structures built for a specialized purpose that only make use of the space sporadically at best. I can't hate on people loving sports just because I'm not into it, I just built up a hatred for how funds get wasted on stadiums from my college days, watching my tuition skyrocket while new stadiums were built on campus. Gave me a whole lot of time to think through what a waste that was while college students were being saddled with crippling debt.
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You realize that this is Boston we're talking about, right? There aren't any "local sports obsessed universities." Boston doesn't really do college sports, and the college sport we care most about (hockey) could never share a stadium with a soccer team. BC's the closest thing we have, and they are hardly "big time" (they've only been averaging about 30k attendance, or around 2/3 capacity, at football games lately). BU and NEU don't even have football, and Harvard's not gonna leave their 110+ year old stadium in the Ivy League. Everyone else is DIII.

I too hate it when municipalities and states build stadiums for professional sports teams (I'm looking at you especially, Georgia) or when universities build sports facilities with tax-deductible "charitable" donations, but that's not what we're talking about here. A privately financed soccer stadium would be a pretty good use of the Bayside Expo land, IMHO. Much better than whatever UMass Boston will do (or not do) with it in the foreseeable future.

Remember that Boston is the only city in America where teams in all four major professional sports leagues play in stadiums that were privately funded and constructed and are privately owned. We love our pro sports teams, but we're also generally pretty good about making them pay for their own shit. Stuff like the Red Sox lease of Yawkey Way gets criticized here, but that's small potatoes compared to the hundreds of millions of direct cash subsidies that other governments hand out to their teams.
 
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Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

We're going to build a stadium & Mexico is going to pay for it.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

Semass said:
The Draft EA for the South Station Expansion targets Widett Circle as a 30 trainset layover facility plus some additional support functions. There were numerous flaws with the olympic stadium for this site - not the least of which was precluding the layover. However, it seems that the layover - an actual public purpose - could be compatible with an air rights stadium. The proper foundation could be constructed to fit the layover function. A stadium above a transportation function is hardly a new concept. It would also serve to keep the train equipment out of the elements. It is a non-public space so it would be secure. Access would need to be figured out from Andrew, Broadway, and the South End. Certainly more expensive than putting it on terra firma but not impossible
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I can cite a billion dollar reason (the estimated cost of an air rights development just to build the platform for a foundation) that nothing of any substance is ever getting built at Widett Circle. If the Olympics couldn't justify the excessive infrastructure costs of building at Widett, then a 20k soccer stadium can't either.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

Someone doesn't know our skyline
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

Just a dumb question, why couldn't the Revs look at Harvard Stadium or Alumni Stadium? (I apologize for bumping this)
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

tysmith95 said:
Just a dumb question, why couldn't the Revs look at Harvard Stadium or Alumni Stadium? (I apologize for bumping this)
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MLS would never let it happen. The league is committed to it's franchises playing in majority-owned, grass field stadiums.

Definitely not bump worthy - this information is all over the net. I did see some Providence talk which I'll post when I find it.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

tysmith95 said:
Just a dumb question, why couldn't the Revs look at Harvard Stadium or Alumni Stadium? (I apologize for bumping this)
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This is discussed on literally the previous page. Harvard (and Alumni) stadiums are too narrow for a pitch of professional standards.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

JumboBuc said:
This is discussed on literally the previous page. Harvard (and Alumni) stadiums are too narrow for a pitch of professional standards.
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Oh I'm an idiot. I'm the one who asked the question too :oops:
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

North Shore said:
And the process for finding a home for the Revs outside Foxboro is closing in on 20.
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Apparently the Revolution ownership has been distracted by the goings on in that other sport they are involved with.


Go Pats!
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

tangent said:
Apparently the Revolution ownership has been distracted by the goings on in that other sport they are involved with.


Go Pats!
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that, or getting customers in Patriots place.
As long as Kraft owns the revs don't expect them to leave Gillette. You can look forward to a half baked plan to appease the fans and MLS every 3 years tho, yay.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

^^^ yup. That's the entire story.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

Really guys? This again? -.-
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

stodgyturgid much DD?

Soccer at one of the college stadiums would be good for the fans in Boston hungry for soccer, and the Revs..... Take out the field turf and put in a lot of seats on one side set back just enough.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

Ruairi said:
that, or getting customers in Patriots place.
As long as Kraft owns the revs don't expect them to leave Gillette. You can look forward to a half baked plan to appease the fans and MLS every 3 years tho, yay.
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Well, I think the Bayside location was the closest to having a good enough opportunity for Kraft to think about moving the Revs into Boston... Teachers Union and change of management at UMass scuttled that.

I think we can safely go to sleep on this thread for 3 more years unless Mayor Walsh personally gets the teachers union a deal and a new location they like and UMass figures out a way to sell/lease the property and actually use the money.

Still seems like the best possible location and best possible opportunity around Boston for the foreseeable future. Just soccer isn't quite big enough to generate the spreading around kind of money to grease all hands and make it happen.

Though right before the irrational exuberance of the Super Bowl is a good time to bump the thread.
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

It's a World Cup year so don't worry we will be getting an update on this vaporware stadium very soon!
 
Re: Site in Hub top choice for a soccer stadium

I wonder if Kraft is testing the waters on increased commuter rail train service to Gillette in the hope that one day it becomes permanent and he can attempt to build a soccer specific stadium on part of his Foxboro land. He obviously has way more land than he needs for Pats parking etc. (see casino proposal). I know this would not be a popular choice and folks want this some close to downtown and on the T. Just a random thought.
 
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