Revolution Stadium groundbreaking "12-24 months" Part II

It would be a huge improvement over the status quo with a little elbow grease, though it would be a titanic missed opportunity to replenish the brand and tap into a bigger potential fanbase. I do think they could make a Foxboro SSS work with some investment (and transit) though. We would never get a Toronto/Seattle/Portland level of support there, but maybe we could do attendance in the neighborhood of Red Bull.

 

I've long maintained that this is the most likely scenario under which the Revolution will obtain a soccer-specific stadium.

Yes, the best-case scenario would have the Revolution playing at such a facility within the Metro Boston urban core. That said, available plots of developable - and, preferably, reasonably affordable - land large enough to accommodate construction of such a facility and ancillary development, while simultaneously not impacting nearby NIMBY residential populations, are few and far between within said urban core.

In Foxboro, the Krafts already own land on which a soccer-specific stadium could be built. As a result, gone are major land-acquisition costs or, barring paying such fees, the need for a municipality to hand you said land as part of a public-private partnership. Much of the infrastructure work for such a facility is done, with parking lots in existence and ancillary development (i.e. the restaurants of "the Man Mall") in place.

Further, should the Krafts ever move forward with the med/tech office park development that they were eyeing for the 500-acre parcel across Route 1 from Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place, they could lobby state officials to expand regular public transit to their corner of Foxboro. They'd most likely argue that such a development - in combination with the already existing Brigham and Women's/Mass General medical facility, the Renaissance Hotel and the various and sundry retail, restaurant and entertainment destinations - represents a critical mass of jobs that potential employees - and patrons - could commute to via public transit.

Will it happen? Who knows? But, despite all of the smoke that the Krafts and Company have blown up our collective keisters about what the "want" to do vis a vis an urban-core soccer-specific stadium for the Revolution, that eventuality remains a long-shot. Under the Krafts stewardship, it is far more likely that the Revolution are Foxboro-bound long-term... either in Gillette, or an adjacent soccer-specific stadium.

 

Don't know. It was once, but I'll admit I haven't followed what's happened with it since.

How do you know this?

Menino doesn't really have any reason to have a grudge with Kraft. Kraft tried to get his stadium in Southie and lost, so why should anyone in Boston have hard feelings? If anything, I think some people regret that it wasn't allowed to happen.

And, Kraft's battle wasn't with Menino primarily, it was with the Southie pols and populace. If Menino sided with them (or didn't help Kraft), that's just politics, not personal.

Personally, I think Menino is quite misunderstood and extremely under-estimated.

I agree. That's not a place I'd look forward to hanging around in, before or after the game.

Plus, I think building a stadium near Logan is a really bad idea, for the stadium and for Logan (how would you like to be trying to catch a flight right around kickoff time for a sellout game/concert?).

I think that would only be an incremental improvement - certainly not enough to justify spending $100M or more.

Getting small, in and of itself, isn't going to do much. Just look at Columbus.

 

A Revs SSS is a must whether its in Boston or in Foxboro. IMO Boston should be the first choice and as a last ditch option Foxboro/suburbs. The only way the Revs could survive @ Gillette Stadium long-term is if they go all out and sign a marquee name, i.e. Ronaldo/Messi and another lesser name. Then you could very well start seeing a pact house @ Gillette Stadium. My contention has always been that clubs that win on-the-field will sell tickets or big name stars will. The New England area is a hot bed for soccer but the problem is the Revs have never won a MLS Cup nor has any star power to lure in the true soccer fan nevermind the casual sports fan. Once the club starts winning on-the-field or signs a marquee player/players then we'll start to see more fans coming to games and better coverage from the local media.

 

If you don't think Menino holds grudges and takes things personally then it is my opinion that you don't understand Menino. The whole Southie saga is well documented. Kraft went right to the neighborhood directly to win favor. He went around Menino. He didn't kiss his ring. Big mistake.

 

i dont think that Kraft wants to build a stadium in Foxboro. yes, he wouldnt have to purchase the land because he already owns it, but he knows doing so would just move 7,000 people from gillette to the new stadium, there would be no new influx of people. i think everyone in this forum will agree that boston is the #1 choice, but seeing as how that is becoming less and less likely ive always wondered why they dont try and put it in worcester/central mass? its the 2nd largest city in the state. central mass has a very large brazilian and portugese population not loads of local fans. the land cost wont be nearly as bad as boston and the city of worcester would almost certainly back the project carte blanche because they are trying to "rebuild" the city i.e new parks, etc. i think in the end Kraft wants to move the revolution to a new location and rebrand the team, give it new life. but hey, im from central mass so im kinda biased, but a man can dream

 

no.

 

Alan, Where's that dead horse image you Photoshopped? We need you!

 

hahahaha well apparently that idea has been thrown around a few times before.... i didnt even read the whole thread so sorry if my post was repetative

 

How about Plymouth? We have good highway access, train service, plenty of land, much of it near shopping and dining. The trip from Boston or Providence is an easy one.
And it's the 19th largest municipality in Massachusetts.

 

Isn't Plymouth further from Boston than Foxboro?

 

Yup.

 

Cross that one off the list then.

 

Montpelier or bust.

 

But route 3 is much faster than route 1!

 

Why doesn't everyone just list the town where they live and then we can vote on if it would be a good idea to build a stadium and move the Revs there?

 

...but slower than I-95!

 

Only 8-20 months until the shovels hit the ground!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Boston

 

I live in Abington, which is right next to Weymouth and a portion of the former Weymouth Naval Airbase is in Abington. As part of the Weymouth N.A.S. re-use plan, enough land is set aside for recreational and athletic facilities. There is plenty of room in there for a sss plus surrounding fields. Currently 36 soccer pitches are in the plan. It's also on the train line, but, even though it would be awesome for me, I'm never on here saying it's ideal because it's 16 miles from downtown Boston, and maybe a little too far from the urban core.

 

I didn't say that.

It was a big mistake in that it failed (but, there was no way he was going to get Menino's support, because that would have meant Menino shoving it down Southie's throat - and that wasn't going to happen).

Was it a big mistake in "offending" Menino? Not so much IMO. And, that's why I asked the question - do you have some reason to think that Menino is holding a grudge over it?

They're both powerful men, who don't get deals done by letting petty grudges from 10 years earlier get in the way. If something is in both their interests, they aboslutely can work together to get something done. Menino's having all kinds of trouble getting development kick-started in Boston - I really doubt he's not going to think about Kraft's proposals if it's an area he wants developed.

 

Obviously none of us know the true dynamic between Kraft and Menino, and even less the case do we know what is going on in either of their individual minds. Let's stop pretending like we do. It's a waste of time.