STATEMENT FROM ROBERT AND JONATHAN KRAFT
“In 2015, we were invited to put together a stadium proposal for the former Bayside Exhibition Center site. Since then, we have invested millions of dollars and thousands of staff hours to design and structure a venue that would benefit UMass Boston, the City of Boston and serve as an asset to the surrounding communities, with an operating plan that would benefit all local constituencies. We were committed to a fully-funded, privately-financed stadium that would have totaled an investment in excess of $250 million. There was also a full-value land lease to UMass that would have provided annual payments to the university. As is the case with any development opportunity, there were numerous hurdles to overcome and we regularly adjusted our plans to cater to the needs of the project. Unfortunately, and for reasons beyond our control, it has been determined that this project is not feasible to pursue on this site at this time. It is our goal to continue to seek development opportunities where we can invest in a soccer specific stadium that will benefit its surrounding communities while giving our fans and our players a venue they will be proud to call home for generations to come.”
That statement sort of sums it up for you, but being from Boston this is a big deal to guys like me.
Soccer struggles to get any form of respect in a city driven by hockey chatter and Tommy Brady. Boston is most known for it's Irish Catholic hockey products and the fact the Patriots have been good for a long time, historically speaking. These are two tough sports, played by tough people.
Soccer, not so much.
Already up against the elements (literally) in a cold city, soccer struggles to get any respect in New England. The fact that the Revolution, the MLS team in the state of Massachusetts, share a massive stadium with the Patriots that has ZERO environment due to the massive and subsequently vacant stadium design.
This was supposed to change that, and now it's not happening.
The struggle continues. Sorry guys, I really am rooting for you. This place was going to be gorgeous.