Stadium |
White Stadium Boston, Massachusetts |
---|---|
League | NWSL |
2026 | Inaugural Season |
NWSL Boston is a planned soccer club located in Boston, Massachusetts. The club is planning to debut in the National Women's Soccer League in 2026.
The original Boston Breakers was a professional women's soccer team that played in the WUSA from 2001 to 2003.[ citation needed] In the final season in the WUSA, the Breakers had their best record (10–4–7) and placed first in the regular season before losing to the Washington Freedom in the semi-finals. [1]
In 2007, a new league called Women's Professional Soccer was announced. [2] The second iteration of the Boston Breakers played in Allston, Massachusetts from 2009 to 2011. [1] The league folded in early 2012, and that year, the Breakers competed in the Women's Premier Soccer League Elite. [3] After one season, the club moved to the National Women's Soccer League, where they played from 2013 to 2017. On January 25, 2018, the club folded, and did not participate in the NWSL that season. [4] Reports generally blamed lack of marketing and resultant limited fanbase for the club's demise. [5] [6]
On September 19, 2023, an NWSL expansion team was announced, with a planned start date in 2026. [7] The ownership group of the winning bid, Boston Unity Soccer Partners (BUSP), is an all-female ownership group led by Jennifer Epstein, Stephanie Connaughton, Ami Danoff, and Anna Palmer. [7] The team will play home matches in White Stadium in Franklin Park, Boston. [7]
The city of Boston planned to commit up to $50 million towards the stadium's renovation, and BUSP pledged $30 million. [8] The stadium is to be the first venue in the country which will be home to a major league sports franchise and the athletic program of a public high school. [8] The stadium will be shared with Boston Public School track and soccer. [8] American football matches will be prohibited at the field during the professional soccer season, although high school football will be played on the field for playoffs and Thanksgiving games. [8]