As members of the Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Dorchester, and greater Boston community, we strongly support the proposed redevelopment of White Stadium in partnership with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). This project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a world-class, ADA-accessible facility that serves Boston Public Schools (BPS) students, uplifts Franklin Park, and invests in women’s sports.

While there has been vocal opposition to the project from organizations like the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, many local residents, BPS teachers and coaches, and small business owners in the surrounding area strongly support the redevelopment and the positive impact it will have on our neighborhood and city. This project represents an opportunity to decentralize the best parts of Boston, bringing income and investment from outside the city into the areas that need it most.

We support this project because:

• White Stadium urgently needs rebuilding. Without this redevelopment, students will be left with an unsafe and deteriorating facility for decades. The partnership with the NWSL ensures construction is expedited, providing BPS students access to a modern stadium for all sports.
  
  
• It benefits far more BPS students, their families, and other community members across Boston. The new stadium will expand opportunities for track, soccer, and other sports not just for the existing teams that play there, but for many other BPS teams that will now be able to participate. BPS use of the stadium will triple its current amount, and community spaces will be created so that a larger part of the Boston family ecosystem will be able to participate and benefit from the stadium's use.
  
  
• It invests in Franklin Park. The $500,000 annual investment in park improvements will enhance pathways, lighting, and safety, while planting 500 new trees over the next ten years to preserve and expand the park’s natural beauty, and setting the park up for a climate-ready future.
  
  
• It takes the lead in sustainable building in an era of climate change. When completed, the stadium will be one of three carbon-neutral stadiums in the entire country, setting the example for how to sustainably build for many international cities to follow.
  
  
• It ensures long-term financial sustainability. An agreed upon additional fee added to every NWSL ticket will generate significant income for the park, creating ongoing financial support and incredible ROI for the park well beyond the $500,000 annual commitment.
  
  
• It supports local businesses. The stadium redevelopment will create new opportunities for Black- and Brown-owned small businesses in the surrounding area, driving economic growth and ensuring the benefits of this investment are felt across the community.
  
  
• It eliminates maintenance costs for the city. By covering all maintenance fees, the NWSL partnership reduces financial strain on the city while ensuring the stadium remains a top-tier facility for years to come, creating huge savings for taxpayers.
  
  
• It supports women’s sports. This project makes Boston a leader in elevating women’s sports, which are currently drastically underfunded and deprioritized across our country, and demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships to empower communities.
  
  
• It makes White Stadium ADA-accessible, reducing barriers for students and spectators with disabilities and creating an inclusive space for all. This monumental change will welcome Boston students of all abilities into the life-changing potential of confidence building and inclusion by making a space that says "you're welcome here" and "we celebrate you."

Frederick Law Olmsted’s original vision for Franklin Park was to create a space for the community to gather, and this project fulfills that vision by revitalizing the stadium into a place that serves and uplifts local residents while uniting our city and our region.

Concerns about delays and alternative plans:

Demolition of the old stadium has already been scheduled, and we are concerned that continued opposition could jeopardize the future of the project and the NWSL’s involvement. The alternative plan presented by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, while cheaper, is unrealistic and overlooks the significant economic ROI and benefits this project brings to our city, local community, and the park itself.

We are eager for construction to move forward and urge the City of Boston to continue to support this transformative redevelopment for our community and our future, and for the opposition to reconsider its position.

Sign this petition to show your support for the White Stadium redevelopment and the positive impact it will have on our city and Franklin Park.