By Michael Silverman and Jon Chesto
The New England Revolution just secured a crucial assist from the state Legislature to help build a soccer stadium in Everett. But it’s just the first of many issues to be resolved before they can reach that ultimate goal.
Among the remaining questions: Is it financially feasible for the Kraft Group, which owns the Revolution, to spend up to $500 million on a new but smaller stadium where it won’t be able to sell as many tickets as it does at Gillette Stadium, which the Revolution share with the Patriots?
“We really need to get into it before we understand,” said team president Brian Bilello in an interview with the Globe.
It’s not just about ticket volume, it turns out.
The Revolution hope the move will increase their relevance and build their fan base, and thus drive revenues in other ways. Plus, a stadium built with soccer in mind instead of football should offer a better experience for fans.
“The biggest thing from a sort of big-picture perspective, is, frankly, the relevance in Greater Boston for Major League Soccer and for the Revolution,” said Bilello. “I’m still seeing articles and stories as recently as this month talking about the four sports teams in Boston. It’s understandable, but also still disappointing that with our attendance levels and how long we’ve been around, that we’re still somehow seen as a junior professional sports team to the other ones.”
Despite winning just 9 of 34 MLS games this season, the Revolution set a franchise attendance record for the second straight year. They drew an average of 29,262 in Foxborough, powered by three of the six largest single-game crowds in the franchise’s 29-season history and eight crowds of more than 25,000.
That per-game average was third-best in the league, in a year when MLS drew a record 11.4 million fans.
Bilello spoke the day after the Legislature passed a wide-ranging, $4 billion economic development bill that includes a measure that would remove a 43-acre site on the Mystic River, across from the Encore Boston Harbor casino and on Boston’s doorstep, from a designated port area. It’s a necessary step for the team to build a stadium there.
Soccer’s popularity in North America is on the rise, and the return of the World Cup in the summer of 2026, with seven games scheduled for Gillette Stadium, should further fuel its ascent.
Design plans for the new stadium are in flux, but Bilello said it will seat 22,000-24,000, including suites and standing-room tickets. That’s fewer than the previously reported 25,000.
The earliest the stadium could be ready for action is 2027, he said.
Ticket prices will likely rise in the interim. So would operating costs.
With fewer tickets to sell, the team will focus on building and solidifying a fan base that will infuse a new home with the type of passion that translates into higher revenues, whether that’s via off-site merchandise sales or in-game concessions.
Naming rights for the stadium will be one lucrative source, as would contracts for signage and box-office suites, and any future jersey sponsorship deal. United HealthCare has been the Revolution’s only jersey sponsor, first signing on in 2011.
A new home should attract new opportunities, Bilello said, citing the Columbus Crew’s move to downtown Columbus and Lower.com Field in 2021 as one example of an MLS team making a move toward a more urban venue. He also mentioned St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles FC creating more buzz with new downtown stadiums.
A capacity of 22,000 would still place the Revolution in the league’s top 10 among soccer-specific stadiums.
“It’s beyond just the economics,” Bilello said. “It’s giving our fans [a] more authentic experience.”
The new venue would be used roughly 40 days a year, between 20-21 Revolution games and 15-20 concerts, with a minimal number of other events.
Besides overcoming all regulatory hurdles and assessing the scope of environmental cleanup, the Revolution still need to discover what engineering obstacles are in the way of building so close to the Mystic River.
The site would have fewer than 100 parking spots and would rely heavily on public transportation, with fans walking from Assembly Row in Somerville over a proposed pedestrian bridge to the Encore casino and from Sullivan Square in Charlestown, Bilello said.
Given the expected increase in foot and car traffic in Sullivan Square, the condition of the Alford Street Bridge that connects Charlestown to the Everett site, and the sliver of Boston property that lies within it, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has voiced her concerns about being left out of the conversation to date.
The legislation requires the Kraft Group to reach community-impact agreements with the cities of Everett and Boston. Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria has been one of the project’s biggest proponents, and sees it as a key part of his vision to convert old industrial land along Lower Broadway to entertainment and hospitality uses.
If an agreement can’t be reached with the cities by May 1, the legislation requires that the sides bring in an independent mediator. If the issues aren’t resolved by the end of 2025, the dispute would then be decided by a three-member arbitration panel.
Bilello did not elaborate much on the potentially awkward dynamic that could emerge if Josh Kraft, who leads the family’s charitable efforts, decides to run against Wu in next year’s Boston mayoral race. Kraft is expected to make a decision by the end of the year.
“We just want to make sure we have something that’s great for Everett, Boston, and frankly, all the surrounding communities,” Bilello said.