ICYMI: Boston Globe Op-Ed from Mayor Michelle Wu: New White Stadium Combines History, Sports, and Community

“After 40 years of delays and missed opportunities, White Stadium will once again be the best public school sports facility in the country.”

“The long-term value and benefits for our students, communities, and future generations far outweigh the initial upfront cost.”

Read the Mayor's Op-Ed

In an op-ed published in the Boston Globe, Mayor Michelle Wu outlines how the newly renovated White Stadium will deliver the largest community benefits deal in Boston’s history—investing in local businesses, Franklin Park, surrounding communities, and our students—while creating a new, world-class home for BPS athletics.

Read the full op-ed here and see excerpts below.

Boston Globe: New White Stadium combines history, sports, and community

March 7, 2026

By Michelle Wu

As mayor of Boston and as a soccer mom, I know the transformational power of youth sports That’s why our mission to make Boston the best city for families must include not only creating housing, jobs, and excellent schools, but also giving our kids the very best opportunities for student athletics.

In its heyday, White Stadium was a treasured gathering place for all of Boston But with the busing crisis of the 1970s, followed by a major fire that badly damaged half of the grandstands, White Stadium languished through decades of promised renovations, false starts, and continued disinvestment.

That all changes next summer. After 40 years of delays and missed opportunities, White Stadium will once again be the best public school sports facility in the country.

Our new hub for Boston Public Schools athletics will include a professional-grade grass field and eight-lane track, student strength and conditioning facilities, after-school study spaces, and a community room for team banquets and neighborhood events.

It’s all possible through a unique partnership with the city’s newest professional sports franchise — Boston Legacy FC, our National Women’s Soccer League team — that builds on Boston’s revolutionary legacy of making history by investing in the public good.

Defying business as usual, this public-private deal does not transfer public land or dollars to a for-profit sports entity. Instead, this publicly owned student athletics facility will be completely rebuilt and maintained with a private subsidy from our professional women’s soccer team, which will lease the facility from the city for up to 20 games per year.

Students and community members will have access to the outdoor and indoor facilities every day: after school, on weekends, and in every season — even on pro soccer game days. That means daily use of strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and study spaces for all student athletes, as well as hosting soccer, cross country, track, and cheerleading throughout the season, and end-of-season football for every BPS high school team.

Boston Legacy will fund maintenance and operations for the entire facility year-round, in addition to sharing revenue, paying rent to the city, and investing millions in community benefits directed to restoring Franklin Park and supporting community organizations and needs in the surrounding neighborhood.

Overall, the deal with Boston Legacy totals $252 million in community benefits over the next 15 years — by far the largest such deal in the city’s history — including 60 percent of the construction costs.

The city of Boston’s share of the construction budget is $135 million, set through public bidding for the best value and capped by a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract.

It’s a major investment — but delivering an athletic complex of this scale, surrounded by a historic public park, cannot be done for less. The long-term value and benefits for our students, communities, and future generations far outweigh the initial upfront cost.

Some would have us scale back the community’s vision, narrow the project, and bow to the limits and barriers our students have known for far too long, or even let the site sit in ruin so a few can enjoy their peace and quiet. But after decades of broken promises to our students and park lovers, we refuse to settle for another generation of excuses.

Boston is the city of champions. Starting next summer, our student athletes will have a home field that proves we mean it.