Brockton pro soccer training center to cost $27 million. Opening when?

BROCKTON — The region’s new pro soccer team aims to start construction in August on a $27 million training facility in Brockton.

In the first public comments about the plan by Boston Legacy Football Club, an expansion team in the National Women’s Soccer League, controlling owner Jennifer Epstein said their players deserve a training facility that enables them to be at their best.

“We are proud to continue investing in not just our club, but in the overall growth of women’s sports, while also bringing further development to our community,” Epstein said. “We’re grateful to the city of Brockton and local elected officials for their partnership as we finalize this project.”

A different developer, Mark Roukous, has for years had a written agreement with the city to build a youth sports complex off Howard Street on the north side. He never did.

A tight timeline

The soccer team will have to move fast. The 2026 season begins March 13, 2026. The club hopes to finish construction by Jan. 1, 2026, said Brockton lawyer James Burke, who represents the team. The Legacy are buying about 24 acres from Roukous. Kim Miner, chief of staff and chief legal officer for the Legacy, said on July 8 she expects the sale to be finalized within days.

What community benefits will team offer?

Brocktonians have already seen the proposal: Six soccer fields, a 30,000 square foot main building and a support building for youth soccer. The plan includes a domed field, which the city lacks, and a heated field. The team will be working out an agreement for public use of the fields. Miner said details are still being worked out, but there would likely be a range of costs. For instance, the club would likely offer soccer clinics for youth for free. An adult recreation league, though, might have to pay to rent a field.

The club will have a special emphasis on supporting access for young girls, she said. “For soccer to be accessible for people, it needs to be affordable,” Miner said.

Heated field, bubble dome and more

In a July 14 announcement, the club confirmed the main building would house spaces for workouts, sports medicine, film room, kitchen, hydrotherapy and staff offices. For the fields, the club aims to have two grass fields (at least one of them heated), plus the bubble dome. There would be three artificial turf fields on the east side of the performance center near the Brookfield School.

The fields would be lit with 80-foot-tall lights, the club told Brockton’s planning board in a July 1 meeting. At that session, the board unanimously approved the project. The Legacy are due to return to the planning board to finalize the stormwater runoff plan.

City Hall is all in

Brockton City Hall has been in favor of the proposal. “I have supported this complex from day one because it’s a true win-win for Brockton,” said Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan. “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.”

Who’s paying for the project?

The $27 million project is privately funded, the club said.

Key parcel not offered for sale

Interestingly, the soccer team was not offered the land parcel just to the west of their proposed facility, according to Kevin Grady of Grady Consulting. Roukous would retain ownership of 10 acres where he has been grinding and crushing rocks and fill. Asked if dust and noise from that activity concerned the club, Minor said no. Her expectation is that by the time they’re building their facility, they will have resolved any issues.

As for a written agreement on community benefits, like youth teams using fields, Minor said the team still has a lot of listening to do. “We plan to hear a lot more from the community,” she said, adding that the team doesn’t want to make assumptions about what residents want or need.

The planning board’s approval included a stipulation that a “social package” acceptable to the mayor be worked out.

Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on X at @HelmsNews.