A Boston Superior Court judge dealt a serious blow to a group opposing the renovation of White Stadium—and did it on the eve of the trial set to determine the future home of NWSL in Boston. The judge ruled that the group, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, has no standing to bring a case on whether the George R. White Trust, which owns White Stadium and the land on which it sits, can make a deal with the city.
The trial is set to begin Tuesday in Massachusetts court.
The women’s soccer league is adding the New England expansion team in 2026. Boston Unity Soccer Partners won the expansion bid in September 2023 with a $53 million expansion fee.
The group announced their chosen home would be White Stadium, a public venue opened in 1949 and in need of a face-lift. The NWSL team said it would share costs with the city to renovate the stadium for shared use among the team, Boston Public Schools, and the local community. In February 2024, local nonprofit group Emerald Necklace Conservancy filed a complaint along with 20 individuals against the city and Boston Unity Soccer Partners in Suffolk County civil court opposing the White Stadium plan. In recent months, estimated costs for the stadium have more than doubled, bringing the total to more than $200 million, with about half of that coming from the city.
The team has also had a bumpy takeoff with its name and branding. In October, the team announced its name would be Bos Nation FC—an anagram of Bostonian—with a “Too Many Balls” brand rollout that quickly led to backlash and an apology from the team. On Friday, the same night as the NWSL’s 2025 season kickoff, the team announced it will change its name in the next few weeks, and updated its social media handles to “Coming Soon FC.”
The trial has become a point of contention in the upcoming Boston mayoral race. Mayor Michelle Wu has stood by the project despite the budget increases. Her challenger Josh Kraft, son of Patriots owner Robert Kraft, said the city’s process of working with the team to secure White Stadium was “secretive and rigged,” and has called on the city and team to halt the project.
Here’s everything to know about the trial:
Why are the plaintiffs suing?
The locals are against the use of the public stadium by private owners. They are also worried about traffic and congestion, loss of public access during events throughout the summer, and the forcing out of BPS football teams. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy has its own plan for a fully public renovation that it says would cost about $29 million.
“This is the public’s park, and we’re grateful to finally have our day in court to defend it,” plaintiff Jean McGuire said in a statement.
“We’d love to support a women’s soccer team somewhere else in Greater Boston—just not in Franklin Park, a historic park surrounded by dense urban neighborhoods that is highly used by the residents and school children whose access will be restricted by a professional sports complex,” said another plaintiff, Melissa Hamel.
What has the ownership group said?
Boston Unity Soccer Partners released a statement Monday saying they “look forward to the resolution of all legal claims, as the plaintiffs’ allegations are not supported legally or factually, nor are their claims supported by legal precedent.”
“The plaintiffs’ media campaign has misrepresented the facts, leading to public misconception about what, exactly, this project entails,” the statement reads. The team also said the new plan will more than double hourly community and BPS access while the team is paying for half the costs for under 5% of the hourly use of the stadium.
“Our team is thrilled to bring professional women’s soccer to Boston and to collaborate with the city of Boston on enriching the community through our joint renovation of a beloved neighborhood landmark,” the team said.
What have the courts already said?
Last March, a Suffolk County Superior Court judge denied the opposition’s preliminary injunction to halt the project. The Massachusetts attorney general has also weighed in: “We have informed those challenging the project in court that, while we respect their advocacy, we do not share their legal position because the state laws on which they rely do not prevent the City of Boston’s plans, as the Superior Court already has indicated,” a spokesperson for Attorney General Andrea Campbell said in a statement last month.
On Monday a Boston Superior Court Trial judge said: “The White Fund was established for the benefit of the general public, and the Plaintiffs do not have individual interests in the White Fund distinct from that of the general public.
In response to the ruling, a spokesperson for ENC told FOS: “The core issue in this case is the same as it’s been since the beginning: is Franklin Park, including acres of land inside and outside the walls of White Stadium, constitutionally-protected public land? We believe that it is, and we’re confident that when all the evidence is presented, the court will agree.”
How long will the trial last?
According to the court website, hearings are scheduled every weekday at 9 a.m. from March 18 through March 26. Judge Matthew Nestor of Massachusetts Superior Court will preside over the case, not a jury.
Can this trial actually stop the team from playing at White Stadium?
The construction process is already underway; demolition of White Stadium began in February. But the plaintiffs are hoping the details of a specific city fund and Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution can stop the team’s plan. They allege that bringing in a professional team would violate the public fund used to build the stadium, and a vote in the state legislature would be needed to allow a private team to use it. The team claims the city fund and Article 97 do not apply.
Where could the team go if the White Stadium plans are blocked?
The Kraft family is currently working on a plan—criticized by Wu—to build a new stadium in the suburb of Everett, Mass., for its MLS team, the New England Revolution. The mayoral challenger has said he will recuse himself from negotiations on the project as mayor. If White Stadium does not clear its hurdles—but the Kraft plan does—a potential shared MLS-NWSL stadium could be an option.
Boston Unity Soccer Partners’ controlling owner Jennifer Epstein also said in an email to a city official in November 2022 that Boston University’s Nickerson Field could be a “failsafe backup plan,” and the team did reach out to the school about using the facility, according to The Boston Globe. The university housed the Women’s United Soccer Association’s Boston Breakers for the entirety of their short lifespan from 2001 to 2003.
