New England Revolution Stadium – design description

How does the new stadium project for New England Revolution look in brief?

The New England Revolution (MLS) have so far played their matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, a large venue that is also home to the NFL team, the New England Patriots.

Gillette Stadium is too big for the Revolution, and it is also located about an hour’s drive from Boston. The club has therefore long sought to build a new, soccer-specific stadium – tailored to its needs and located within the Boston metropolitan area.

Longstanding efforts gained momentum only after 2022, when the site of a shutting-down power plant in Everett (fully closed in 2024) was considered. Preliminary stadium renderings were presented in April 2024, and by the end of 2025 the key legislative issues were resolved.

The stadium will have a capacity of 25,000 spectators, and an adjacent public park along the Mystic River will also be created. According to very preliminary estimates, the investment is worth around half a billion dollars, and its implementation – including the demolition of the power plant and site remediation – is expected to take about four years.

Why do the New England Revolution need a new stadium?

The New England Revolution are one of the 10 founding clubs of Major League Soccer. The team was founded by billionaire Robert Kraft shortly after he became the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots in 1994.

From the beginning, the Revolution played in Foxborough, at the same stadium as the Patriots – initially at Foxboro Stadium, which was replaced in 2002 by Gillette Stadium, built right next door.

Foxborough is located roughly midway between the Boston and Providence metropolitan areas, and both the Patriots and the Revolution aim to build the identity of teams representing all of New England, rather than a single city.

However, the large Gillette Stadium is far too big for a soccer club, a sport that is less popular in the United States than American football. For this reason, the New England Revolution have long planned to build their own stadium, tailored to their needs.

Building a soccer-specific stadium also follows the trend in MLS, where an increasing number of teams now have their own dedicated venues.

When were the first plans for a new New England Revolution stadium developed?

The first reports about searching for a site to build a new stadium for the Revolution appeared as early as 2006. Since then, numerous potential locations were considered. The club’s preferred solution was to build the arena within the Boston metropolitan area, although there were also plans for the team to move to Providence.

For a long time, the site search did not yield results, and the Revolution continued to play their matches in Foxborough.

When did the Everett stadium plan take shape?

In 2022, reports emerged that the new stadium could be built on the site of the shutting-down Mystic Generating Station. The first plant units were decommissioned in 2003, additional units in 2022, and the final two were shut down at the end of May 2024.

The power plant site is located on the Mystic River waterfront in Everett, part of the Boston metropolitan area, less than 2.5 miles (4 km) north of downtown Boston.

The Kraft family partnered with Wynn Resorts, the owners of the luxury casino Encore Boston Harbor, which opened in 2019 nearby. In 2023, Wynn Resorts purchased part of the power plant site, which was being considered as a potential stadium location.

On April 2, 2024, the New England Revolution presented, for the first time, preliminary renderings of the new stadium in Everett during a committee hearing in the Massachusetts Legislature.

What legislative procedures were required to build the new stadium in Everett?

The power plant site was classified as a Designated Port Area (DPA), which meant it could only be used for industrial facilities. Before the project could begin, the DPA status had to be lifted by the state authorities.

In November 2024, the state of Massachusetts revoked the DPA designation for the Everett site, making the change conditional, among other things, on the signing of community impact agreements with the cities of Everett and Boston.

The agreements were expected to be finalized by the end of 2025. It was not until December 31, 2025 that the Kraft Group announced the completion of these agreements, which was made possible by providing the cities with additional financial benefits and investments in infrastructure and public space.

What do the plans for the new stadium in Everett include?

The first preliminary renderings (the final design may differ significantly) depict a soccer-specific stadium with fully covered stands, featuring a white exterior. The stadium is expected to have a capacity of around 25,000 spectators.

The venue will primarily serve as the home of the New England Revolution, but it will also host concerts and other events.

The Kraft Group has committed to demolishing the old power plant, remediating and raising the site to improve flood safety, and to investing in infrastructure and transportation improvements around the stadium.

A public park will also be created along the Mystic River waterfront, including a promenade and a bike path. Due to limited space, the stadium will have few parking spots, and most spectators are expected to use public transportation, including buses and the subway (Orange Line).

When will the new stadium for the New England Revolution be completed?

The exact timeline for the project has not yet been announced. Preliminary estimates indicate that the demolition of the power plant, site remediation, and construction of the new stadium should take approximately four years. The projected cost is around half a billion dollars.