On Friday the soccer scene in New England got a jolt with a report from Jessica Toonkel and Rachel Bachman of The Wall Street Journal outlining an NWSL expansion plan that includes Boston.
According to the report there are three teams that would be joining as expansion clubs with the other two areas being Utah and San Francisco. Per the report Utah had a prior arrangement with a fee under $5 million while both Boston and San Francisco have fees around $50 million.
You read that right, $50 million for the franchise fee to put an NWSL team in Boston. In addition both San Francisco and Utah are pegging a 2024 launch while Boston would be at a later date per the report. For New England this marks the return of top flight women’s soccer after the Boston Breakers went belly up in 2018.
This is great news for the sport of soccer in New England but the big question is where the team will play. The original Boston Breakers played all over the place but their last home was a 4,100 seat venue located at Harvard University. For what its worth you do not pay $50 million in franchise fees without a serious investment plan to play in a real venue and build a legitimate product.
Expect to see continued investment in the sport of soccer in the region ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.