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Bayside Expo Center Emerges as Potential Site for New Revolution Stadium

New England RevolutionAfter spending months searching for through Boston for an appropriate site for a new Revolution stadium, team ownership is looking at a location at the former Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester owned by the University of Massachusetts.

The Expo hall is already in the midst of being torn down, and UMass is still evaluating the future of the property, bought in 2010 for $18.7 million. A new Revolution stadium could fit within the future of the property, as the Kraft family explores alternatives to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. While high-profile matches could still be held at the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, a smaller, more intimate facility is seen as the future of the New England Revolution  From the Boston Herald:

In a statement to the Herald, UMass spokesman Robert Connolly said: “The University of Massachusetts is in the process of exploring long-term options for its Bayside property. Our priority is to move forward in a manner that provides a clear benefit for UMass and its students, the community and the Commonwealth. We expect this process to continue to unfold and are confident that what emerges at Bayside will advance our mission and will be a source of pride for UMass and the community. We have not made any decisions and agree that any use must have a positive impact — just as UMass Boston has so clearly had a major impact 
locally and is now responsible for a $1.1 billion statewide economic impact.”

Laura Oggeri, spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh, said in a statement, “Mayor Walsh has always been interested in exploring the possibility of a stadium in Boston and he is open to having a conversation about it. It’s important that any discussion about a stadium includes how it can be used as a catalyst for bringing much-needed 
improvements to any surrounding neighborhoods.”

Kraft and UMass are in ongoing discussions but do not 
appear to be close to a deal, the Boston Globe reported yesterday, citing unnamed sources briefed on the matter.

Photo from the New England Revolution home opener, 2014, via flickr.com.

RELATED STORIES: Krafts bring in Goldman Sachs on new Boston MLS stadium plan; New Boston MLS stadium talk heating up again; New Revolution stadium in motion?; South Boston site eyed for new Rev stadium; After Revolution uprising, will we see soccer-only stadium in Boston?

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