Boston Legacy FC Building Training Facility in Brockton
Shipping up to Brockton
Boston Legacy FC will be shipping down to Brockton, Massachusetts to build its own $27 million training facility for the upcoming season.
The team announced Monday its privately funded, 24-acre performance center will include six fields, a gym, sports medicine and hydrotherapy spaces, a kitchen, and a film room.
“Competing at the highest level demands an environment that elevates every aspect of performance — and this new facility is a major step forward in how we support our players every single day,” said BLFC controlling owner Jennifer Epstein. “It reflects the kind of long-term investment that we believe will define the future of the league: ambitious, professional, and built to endure. We’re proud to be doing this in partnership with the City of Brockton.”
Of the six fields, the team will primarily use two grass fields, as well as a bubble dome for year-round practice. The facility will also have three turf fields, which will be made available for public and youth sports use.
Though the team did not confirm the formation of a soccer academy when asked by The Blazing Musket, the site layout includes an “academy building” near the turf fields.
The team’s counsel and architecture partners presented the project to Brockton’s planning board and the public at the beginning of July. Board members unanimously approved the plans under the condition that environmental reviews were completed and brought back to the board and a “social obligations” agreement was reached with the city.
Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan briefly spoke about how the space would benefit the city and looked forward to how it would serve the city’s youth. Other city officials and residents were also keen on the team partnering with local organizations and youth teams.
“I have supported this complex from day one because it’s a true win-win for Brockton,” said Sullivan in a press release. “It honors our rich sports legacy as the ‘City of Champions’ while creating new opportunities for our young soccer players with high-quality playing fields and inspiration for the future. I am deeply grateful to the Boston Legacy Football Club and Boston Unity Soccer Partners for their proposed investment in our community.”
Construction would begin in August and be complete by January 1, said team attorney Jim Burke during the July meeting.
The property was previously slated to be a sports complex with proposals dating back to 2017. The city initially planned to sell the land to real estate developer Mark Roukous, who had promised a facility with indoor and outdoor playing fields and courts with a completion date in 2019.
For years following the sale, much of the property was used as a gravel pit that held asphalt, brick, and concrete material stockpiles. Abbutters and city officials battled with Roukous over the delay in constructing the center, many citing environmental and health concerns over the industrial operations on the land.
The environmental assessment was due to be complete by July 14; Brockton officials did not immediately reply to a request for results.