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BROCKTON — A pro-sports training facility is rising from the earth on 24 acres on the North Side of Brockton.
The Boston Legacy, in its inaugural season in the National Women's Soccer League, will call Brockton their home for training. As The Star in Frisco, Texas is to the Dallas Cowboys, so the Boston Legacy Performance Center in Brockton will be to the Legacy.
The team gave a tour of the construction side on Monday, June 1. Matt Balk, head of facilities and an experienced hand at sports-related construction, led the visit.
In the hyper-competitive world of pro soccer, the facility could help the team attract talent. "Players have the option to sign anywhere," Balk said. "You want to go where you feel that you're being taken care of, and having a dedicated facility helps contribute to that. It shows out on the pitch as well."
Brockton City Hall has been supportive of the project. "We look forward to a long and successful partnership with the Legacy and are proud to welcome them into our City of Champions community," Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues said in a statement issued by the team.
Residents, especially youth soccer players and enthusiasts, are looking forward to using parts of the facility. The list of community benefits is still being ironed out, said Nelson Fernandes, deputy chief of staff to the mayor. "We are still actively working on potential options this through our Planning & Economic Development team, so we have nothing concrete to report at the moment," Fernandes said on Monday, June 1.
High on the wish list for Brockton soccer organizations is a covered, regulation-size field that could be used year-round. The foundation for just such a "bubble dome" is scheduled to be poured soon.
"There will definitely be community use within the bubble dome and as the project expands into the next phase there will be even more assets available for community use," Balk said.
The site will be anchored by a 30,000 square-foot performance center. The building is already framed out. It will have a locker room, weight room and a full-service kitchen and players' lounge. In addition, the center will have rooms for athletes to recover using methods like hydrotherapy and sauna.
The second floor will be home to Legacy offices, equipment storage and a community room. Balk said it would be "near the forefront of what is available for training facilities for women's sport."
The project is on month eight of an expected 16-month build-out. A marquee element of the site will be a regulation-sized grass field tricked out for year-round use. "This field will be heated, ventilated and have exceptional drainage so that it can be used 12 months out of the year, even in our difficult northeast weather," Balk said.
There's also a three-quarter's size field for practicing set pieces like corner kicks and free kicks.
When the dust settles, Balk said he hopes the place feels like home for the players. This season, Legacy players have had to use other teams' facilities. "There's a transient sense to their training, and so being able to provide a permanent home is so important to them," Balk said.
Balk said the plan is to finish the fields in October, complete the performance center building by late November or early December and the "bubble" by January 2027. "We want to make sure we have what we're doing available to the team for next season and that's our focus," said Balk. Collectively, these projects are phase one.
The project is being carried out by Bridgewater-based Callahan Construction Managers. The architect is Studio Troika.
Exact plans for phase two of construction are in the design phase now, Balk said.
Gravel pit battle on same land Brockton neighbors win again in gravel pit battle against developer paid $664K by the city
Brocktonians were promised for years that the area would already have been home to a youth-sports complex. Developer Mark Roukous had a written agreement with the city to build a youth sports complex there. He never did.
Roukous sold 24 acres to the Legacy. The Enterprise is piecing together how much the club paid, as public documents do not necessarily show a seller's full compensation. He did not sell the west-most parcel and his company continues to grind and crush rocks there to sell as fill.
Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at [email protected]. Connect on X at @HelmsNews or Facebook at@chris.helms.work.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Boston Legacy FC's training center rise from the earth in Brockton
Continue reading...
The Boston Legacy, in its inaugural season in the National Women's Soccer League, will call Brockton their home for training. As The Star in Frisco, Texas is to the Dallas Cowboys, so the Boston Legacy Performance Center in Brockton will be to the Legacy.
The team gave a tour of the construction side on Monday, June 1. Matt Balk, head of facilities and an experienced hand at sports-related construction, led the visit.
In the hyper-competitive world of pro soccer, the facility could help the team attract talent. "Players have the option to sign anywhere," Balk said. "You want to go where you feel that you're being taken care of, and having a dedicated facility helps contribute to that. It shows out on the pitch as well."
Brockton City Hall has been supportive of the project. "We look forward to a long and successful partnership with the Legacy and are proud to welcome them into our City of Champions community," Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues said in a statement issued by the team.
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What's in it for Brockton?
Residents, especially youth soccer players and enthusiasts, are looking forward to using parts of the facility. The list of community benefits is still being ironed out, said Nelson Fernandes, deputy chief of staff to the mayor. "We are still actively working on potential options this through our Planning & Economic Development team, so we have nothing concrete to report at the moment," Fernandes said on Monday, June 1.
High on the wish list for Brockton soccer organizations is a covered, regulation-size field that could be used year-round. The foundation for just such a "bubble dome" is scheduled to be poured soon.
"There will definitely be community use within the bubble dome and as the project expands into the next phase there will be even more assets available for community use," Balk said.
You must be registered for see images attach
Performance center is framed out
The site will be anchored by a 30,000 square-foot performance center. The building is already framed out. It will have a locker room, weight room and a full-service kitchen and players' lounge. In addition, the center will have rooms for athletes to recover using methods like hydrotherapy and sauna.
The second floor will be home to Legacy offices, equipment storage and a community room. Balk said it would be "near the forefront of what is available for training facilities for women's sport."
You must be registered for see images attach
Heated field for year-round use
The project is on month eight of an expected 16-month build-out. A marquee element of the site will be a regulation-sized grass field tricked out for year-round use. "This field will be heated, ventilated and have exceptional drainage so that it can be used 12 months out of the year, even in our difficult northeast weather," Balk said.
There's also a three-quarter's size field for practicing set pieces like corner kicks and free kicks.
When the dust settles, Balk said he hopes the place feels like home for the players. This season, Legacy players have had to use other teams' facilities. "There's a transient sense to their training, and so being able to provide a permanent home is so important to them," Balk said.
You must be registered for see images attach
What's the timeline?
Balk said the plan is to finish the fields in October, complete the performance center building by late November or early December and the "bubble" by January 2027. "We want to make sure we have what we're doing available to the team for next season and that's our focus," said Balk. Collectively, these projects are phase one.
The project is being carried out by Bridgewater-based Callahan Construction Managers. The architect is Studio Troika.
Exact plans for phase two of construction are in the design phase now, Balk said.
Gravel pit battle on same land Brockton neighbors win again in gravel pit battle against developer paid $664K by the city
Wasn't this already supposed to be a sports complex?
Brocktonians were promised for years that the area would already have been home to a youth-sports complex. Developer Mark Roukous had a written agreement with the city to build a youth sports complex there. He never did.
Roukous sold 24 acres to the Legacy. The Enterprise is piecing together how much the club paid, as public documents do not necessarily show a seller's full compensation. He did not sell the west-most parcel and his company continues to grind and crush rocks there to sell as fill.
Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at [email protected]. Connect on X at @HelmsNews or Facebook at@chris.helms.work.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Boston Legacy FC's training center rise from the earth in Brockton
Continue reading...
