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The New England Revolution are one step closer to getting the keys to their own home.
On Thursday, the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously approved an amendment in an economic development bill that includes land for a new soccer-specific stadium for the MLS franchise in Everett, Mass., a town directly north of Boston. The unanimous consent from the Senate is coupled with the state House’s own vote in June, and the full proposed bill will eventually go to Gov. Maura Healy’s desk for her signature.
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Officially, the bill being sponsored by State Sen. Sal DiDomenico—part of the larger S.2856—would reclassify a 43-acre parcel of land owned by Wynn Resorts along the Mystic River “for the purpose of converting the parcel into a professional soccer stadium and a waterfront park.”
Currently home to a decommissioned power plant, the parcel is considered a “designated port area,” because it is designed for maritime activities.
Even if the bill is approved, shovels won’t break ground yet. The site will have to undergo environmental and transportation reviews from the state as well as local zoning approvals.
The journey to find a new home for the Revs, owned by Robert Kraft and The Kraft Group, has been a long one. In fact, the search has been ongoing since 2006.
The Revs, a founding MLS club that began play in 1996, would be the last original team to move into a soccer-specific stadium. After playing their first eight seasons in Foxboro Stadium, the longtime home of the Patriots, the Revolution moved to its replacement, Gillette Stadium, in 2002. While Gillette currently seats close to 65,000 fans for Patriots games, the Revs play in front of a reduced capacity of 20,000. Foxborough, Mass., the town where Gillette is located, is closer to Providence, R.I., (18 miles) than it is to Boston (22 miles).
Since 2006, local and state officials representing nearly every town adjacent to Boston, as well as the city itself, tried to woo Kraft, hoping a stadium could spur economic activity in their communities. In a July 2010 interview on the Revolutions’ blog, current team president Brian Bilello (then the chief operating officer) said that over $1 million had already been invested to find a site around Boston.
The team will have at least five years to develop the venue before the land reverts to its “designated port area” status.
Between January 2022 and September 2023, Gillette Stadium underwent a $250 million renovation that increased hospitality spaces, added a new lighthouse and included a 20,000-square-foot outdoor video board, the largest of its kind in the U.S.
The expansion NWSL franchise in Boston, New England’s other major pro soccer team, will begin play in 2026 at White Stadium in the city’s Franklin Park neighborhood. It’s undergoing a $30 million renovation that’s being paid for by the city, and it will be the first U.S. stadium that will be home to a major pro team and high school sports.
(This article was corrected in the second paragraph to reflect that land, not funding, has been approved.)
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