New England Hopes to Join Soccer-Specific Club

• Boston Globe, Thursday, August 20, 2009 5:15 PM

The New England Revolution hope to join increasing number of MLS teams that boast a soccer-specific stadium. The process behind building such a venue can be complicated, expensive, and time-consuming, but it can bring a host of benefits for a team, its fans, and the community. Brian Bilello, the Revolution's chief operating officer, said ownership remains committed to building a soccer stadium and is working to determine a site.

The Boston suburb Somerville has been mentioned in previous reports, but Bilello said the club is considering a number of sites. He declined to elaborate, but said, "There's a lot of upside potential if we can get the stadium in an urban core.''

The Revolution's current venue, Gillette Stadium, seats more than 68,000 and is about 27 miles from downtown Boston. The average soccer stadium in MLS seats between 18,000 and 27,000. Revolution coach Steve Nicol champions the upside to a smaller stadium. "It would be more intimate,'' Nicol said. "You would be close to the field and the whole thing that goes with that. We're certainly trying to get one. It's in Boston. It's not the easiest thing to get going. We'd love it, and I know it's something the Krafts have wanted to do. It's just location and all the other things that have to be determined."

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