Court documents reveal “deep concern” from both Boston Unity Soccer Partners and the City of Boston that further delays caused by a White Stadium lawsuit could “scuttle the entire” $140M-plus public-private renovation project, according to Michael Silverman of the BOSTON GLOBE. It “raises the possibility” that abandoning the White Stadium plan could “lead to the premature end” of the NWSL expansion team BOS Nation FC that is slated to begin play in 2026. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy-led plaintiffs have “requested a six-month extension of litigation deadlines.” A hearing on the motion to push back a March 18 jury trial is scheduled for today at Suffolk Superior Court. BUSP controlling owner Jennifer Epstein in 2022 “signaled in an email to a City of Boston official that the team considers Boston University’s Nickerson Field a ‘failsafe backup plan that we can rely on.’” Epstein wrote, “Our ‘worst case’ outcome, but most secure currently.” Silverman notes even if the team and City can begin demolition this month, they “both have expressed over the course of the lawsuit that trial extensions pose a risk to the investment group behind BOS Nation FC.” In its mid-November filing, the City said that BUSP will be put “in a terrible position” in choosing whether to await a trial prior to beginning construction “and risk NWSL terminating its rights,” or proceed with construction and “expose its investors to ‘intolerable risks of loss'" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/10).
Report: White Stadium delays put BOS Nation FC's debut in jeopardy
