New England Revolution | Stadium Problem or Atmosphere Problem?
Thank you to Peter Tsipis for penning this article for us about a club & subject that is very close to his footballing heart.
Gillette Stadium | Photo Credit
For fans of the New England Revolution, 2021 was a year to remember. The Revs had one of the greatest regular seasons in MLS history, highlighted by a 20-match stretch that only saw the Revs lose once. The Supporters Shield, the top seed in the playoffs, and a spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League were all secured well before the leaves in Massachusetts changed color.
Even during this unprecedented run of regular-season success, the lingering demon of the MLS Cup still lurked in the shadows. Five times the Revs had made the MLS Cup final and five times they have walked out empty-handed. However, the Revs could not even face the MLS Cup boogieman as they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by New York City FC, a heartbreaking penalty-kick loss at home that would become a chapter in NYCFC’s MLS Cup-winning story.
New England eliminated by NYCFC via PKs, ending their 2021 season | Photo Credit
However, it was not the early playoff exit that upset me the most during the 2021 season. What was disappointing was that the New England Revolution had one of the greatest regular seasons in MLS history, but from a match atmosphere standpoint, it felt like just another season. Before I continue, I must note that I have zero criticism towards Revolution players and the coaching staff. While the end result was not what I hoped for, Bruce Arena has done an incredible job turning this club around and I’m excited to see so many talented players return for the 2022 season. They have done everything they can to make the Revolution as exciting to watch as possible. However, I cannot say the same about the New England Revolution front office.
If you ask any Revs fan what they most want from the club, the vast majority will say, “soccer-specific stadium.” For years, there have always been talks, rumors, and whispers about a soccer-specific stadium in the downtown Boston area. Fans were even lucky enough to dream as stadium renderings were published a few years back regarding a potential move to South Boston. But for a list of reasons, plans were scrapped and there have not been any legitimate talks about relocation since. To understand why Revs fans in Boston want a stadium downtown so bad, you have to understand why Gillette Stadium might be the worst place to watch a soccer match in all of the United States.
Rendering of the Proposed New Stadium | Photo Credit
The biggest problem with Gillette Stadium is merely getting there. To get from Boston to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, it’s about a 40-minute drive, without traffic. For Revs fans attending a mid-week match that kicks off in the evening, it can take over an hour and a half to get to Gillette from Boston while sitting through deadlock traffic during rush hour. Even on the weekends, the drive is a huge burden for fans and is a major deterrent for soccer fans in Boston. There is no public transit that gets out to Gillette when the Revs play, so only those who are privileged enough to own a car in Boston and have the time to make the trek are able to attend.
Even when fans get there, parking is unorganized and is a nightmare both getting in and out of the lot. When the final whistle blows, fans with prior knowledge of the dreadful escape from the parking lot sprint out of their seats and out of the stadium so they can get to their cars as quickly as possible. If one walks out of the stadium with the rest of the fans and is not parked right next to the exit of the lot, they will be sitting in their car for close to an hour before getting on the road. Personally, I don’t understand how it is acceptable that leaving the stadium and driving home takes longer than the match itself. This is the reality for every Revs in Boston and it should come as no surprise that the Revs are nowhere near the most popular soccer team in the city.
I cannot stress this enough; Boston is a soccer city. Fans across town love the EPL and other major European leagues and competitions. A rapidly growing young demographic combined with a significant population of residents from soccer-loving countries like Brazil, England, Germany, and many others have created a community of soccer fandom around Boston. The problem is that those fans have zero desire to go through the burden of attending a Revs game when it’s significantly easier and more enjoyable to watch any club in the world in the comfort of their own home or with a group of people at a pub. I wouldn’t blame anyone for doing so. The commute is shorter, beers aren’t $13, and there is a good chance the atmosphere is better.
New England v Philadelphia 8/8/2021 | Photo - Peter Tsipis
When comparing the atmosphere at a Revs game compared to their MLS counterparts, I personally think they rank towards the bottom of the league. Many people point the blame towards the club playing at a stadium designed for American football, but I don’t believe that is the root of the problem. Both Atlanta United and Seattle Sounders play at American football stadiums, and those two clubs have set the benchmark when it comes to fan atmosphere and attendance. While the sightlines at Gillette are not ideal for soccer, I believe that if the Revs played in Boston at a baseball stadium the atmosphere would be significantly more impressive, even with the horrible sightlines.
When Liverpool played a friendly match against Sevilla at Fenway Park back in 2019, over 35,000 fans were in attendance, eclipsing the attendance of any Revs match that year. While one can argue that the desire to see Liverpool play in the United States was the driving factor of the demand for that friendly match, that match still had over 10,000 more fans than the Revs’ playoff match this past autumn. If the Revs did make the MLS Cup final, I would have been surprised if the attendance was over 35,000.
Personally, I think the Revs could average at least 10,000 more fans a match if they played at an American football stadium in Boston and while a soccer-specific stadium can help build the foundation for a great fan atmosphere, the atmosphere is still rooted in the fans themselves. Because the Revs play 40 minutes to over an hour outside the city, the team naturally caters to their local suburban audience.
Liverpool vs Sevilla at Fenway Park | Photo Credit
Whether it’s by design or not, Revs matches have a more family-friendly atmosphere because they are located in the family-oriented suburbs. This is not to say that families cannot bring a vibrant atmosphere to a match. The family aspect of attending matches is important for passing down fandom to the next generation and creating a sustainable fanbase.
If you watch any European competition on TV, you will likely see the camera showing an elderly man, his son, and his grandson wearing their club’s colors, highlighting the generational fandom that exists throughout the world. However, this type of generational fandom does not really exist in the MLS because the league has only been around since 1996. For the Revs to create this type of sustainable fandom, a vibrant atmosphere needs to be created as a foundation.
While the vast rows of empty seats and unused sections don’t help with the match atmosphere, I believe the biggest problem is the lack of atmosphere from the fans who are in attendance. While there is certainly power in numbers, organization and a close-knit community can create a passionate fan atmosphere that people will gravitate towards.
The Revs supporters section, known as The Fort, not only lacks in numbers, but it lacks a core identity and discourages younger soccer fans from going against the grain. While The Fort is home to three different supporters groups, an outsider would not be able to tell which fans are from which group. There’s a desire for fans to be singing for all 90 minutes, but the songs are repetitive and stale. The Fort seems to be more concerned with quantity over quality and while The Fort can fill fairly well on a good day, there are still people in attendance who will yell “settle down” to the young guys getting rowdy for their club.
New England vs Columbus 9/18/2021 | Photo - Peter Tsipis
Because the sections that make up The Fort are general admission and are open to anyone buying a ticket, a lot of people buy a ticket because it’s the cheapest option and don’t have any desire to be a vocal supporter. While I believe GA supporters section tickets should remain affordable and accessible to everyone, there has to be an understanding of what it means to be in a vocal supporters section.
In all, The Fort feels much like the family-friendly atmosphere that is prevalent around the rest of the stadium. It feels like a place for a nice family outing on a weekend and while I do believe that stadiums should have sections for fans who desire a family environment at a match, the sections for vocal supporters groups should not be held to the same standard. I believe that a new generation of young, soccer-crazed fans can create an incredible atmosphere at matches and can be the foundation of Revolution fandom that can be passed down generations. However, those fans don’t live in the suburbs. They live in Boston.
As much as I want a new soccer-specific stadium in Boston, my fear is that young soccer fans in their 20s and 30s will still be discouraged from going to matches, even with a stadium in their backyard. There’s nothing preventing the Revolution front office from continuing to cater the club towards affluent suburban families. They could build a soccer-specific stadium with a section dedicated towards vocal supporters, but what’s stopping them from raising ticket prices higher than they already are? A ticket for The Fort is currently around $30 and there are no signs of ticket prices dropping for any of the professional sports teams in Boston. If it still costs an arm and a leg for a beer and some food, why would a local university student attend the match when they can watch another sporting event at their local pub?
The biggest hurdle for the Revolution to move to Boston is that Kraft Group, the owners of the New England Revolution, have zero incentive to relocate to Boston unless the new stadium is publicly financed by taxpayer dollars. The debate regarding publicly funded stadiums is a larger conversation for a different day, but I think it would be insulting if Boston taxpayers paid for a new stadium and were priced out of attending matches every step of the way. At the end of the day, the Revolution front office’s main concern is going to be about money over the atmosphere of matches.
Robert and Jonathan Kraft | Photo Credit
However, I believe that no matter where the Revolution play, whether it be in Foxborough or Boston, the status quo of the current matchday environment is unsustainable. With a seemingly endless amount of entertainment options at the fingertips of current and future generations, there will be no desire for people to attend Revolution matches in the future. Young professionals across the Boston area are hungry for soccer and can be a driving force in creating a vibrant atmosphere at Revs matches that can be inclusive, accessible, and sustainable for the next generation of fans.
If the New England Revolution front office does not want to help build the foundation for sustainable fandom, then perhaps it’s time for soccer fans in Boston to stop supporting New England’s club and begin to support their own. A soccer club for Boston.