Latest Revs Stadium Proposal Dead
- Updated: April 28, 2017
The latest proposal for a Revolution soccer specific stadium in Boston has been abandoned after talks between the club and UMass-Boston about school-owned property ended this week, according to a report from the Boston Globe on Thursday.
The Revolution, who’ve long eyed a move to the Hub, were in negotiations with the university in the hopes of securing land at the former Bayside Expo Center property on Columbia Point in Dorchester, Mass., which UMass-Boston owns. But those discussions ended this week according to a school spokesperson.
“I think it’s well documented that there had been conversations over time about the potential for a stadium-anchored development at the site,” UMass spokesman Jeff Cournoyer told the Globe. “It doesn’t appear feasible at this point.”
The proposal to put a soccer stadium on the 20-acre parcel was also met with criticism from town officials.
“The original proposal to put a soccer stadium out there would have been disastrous for South Boston and Dorchester,” said at-large City Councilor Michael Flaherty in the Globe report. “There’s only so much one neighborhood can handle. For those guys to put the stadium over there, I think, was shortsighted.”
U.S. representative Stephen Lynch, a South Boston resident, also expressed his concerns.
“Plopping down a 20,000 . . . seat stadium would have made the problem that much worse,” Lynch said. “Perhaps [the Krafts] will find some better locations that we can support down the road.”
This week’s development is the latest setback in the team’s search for a new home. The organization had previously been in talks with the towns of Revere and Somerville, but was unable to strike a deal in either instance.
The Revolution, who play at 68,000-seat Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, are one of three MLS teams that do not play at a soccer specific venue, or do not have one in development.
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About Brian O'Connell
silvasoccer
April 28, 2017 at 12:16 pm
well, I don’t no where to begin, lets see, i was covering the Revs in the first year the Revs used this stadium, and a god year it was, almost was the best year,and was already a talk about a new stadium for the Revs, and I said back then, what’s going to happen to this stadium during the summer? its best to have 10 or 15 thousand people in here every other week then to have this stadium close all summer, right? so I said to my follow sport writers its never going to happen, the Craft family does not want to see the Revs play anywhere else butt here, let me tell you something else, if the Craft family would want a stadium for the Revs, it would happen a long time ago, believe me.
Brain, I ben talking to you since you came in to Gillette Stadium, and if you recall I told you this back then, back when? what year that you come in? so this talk about a stadium it just talk, believe me
Brian O'Connell
April 28, 2017 at 1:28 pm
We miss you, Walter! You raise a great point: why would Kraft take the Revs out of a rent-free situation and then spend millions on a new stadium? Sure, it’d be better if they played in proper soccer stadium. We’d all love it. But then again, it really doesn’t make a ton of financial sense. Attendance continues to rise at Gillette for Revs games, so what would the impetus be to construct a new stadium? Atmosphere? Objectively, nine figures is a lot of money to spend on atmosphere.