New England Revolution uncovers resplendent facility

Image: New England Revolution

The New England Revolution – the American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area in US – uncovered the Revolution Training Center in Foxborough, Massachusetts, recently.

President of New England Revolution President Brian Bilello and Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena joined Revolution owners Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft at 1776 Revolution Way to inaugurate the center on the US$35m complex.

The one of a kind facility is spread across 68 acres of land in the wetlands behind Gillette Stadium. It is furnished with a 30,000-square foot headquarters and three natural-grass fields that serves as the new home ground for the Revolution MLS team, Revolution II, Revolution Academy, technical staff, and the front office.

Designed by Populous, the Revolution Training Center provides a healthy ambience and encourages competitive spirit among players and their development spanning the First Team through the youth ranks.

The world-class complex fit-outs are 226,500 square feet of newly constructed grass fields, including one armed with heating technology, an avant-garde fitness center, spacious team lounge and dining room, cardio training hill, and hydrotherapy room.

Apart from the First Team’s expansive new locker room, which comes to more than 1,200 square feet, the USL League One side and the Academy also have locker rooms solely dedicated to them in the facility.

Revolution owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft, remarked, “The opening of this state-of-the-art training facility is an important moment in the history of our club. This new facility positions us to ensure we are continually improving and providing players with best-in-class resources to compete for championships while serving as a center for New England’s next generation of soccer players to develop to their full potential.”

The complex possesses three natural-grass training fields, which includes two newly constructed fields adjoining the facility designed solely for First Team use and just steps away from the locker room. A third field, originally opened in August 2017, is now devoted to the Revolution Academy.

The north-most First Team field is armed with latest in-field-heating technology, a 15-million BTU glycol-based heating system that was tailor-made for the club. More than 31 miles of three-quarter-inch tubing snakes beneath the playing surface provide unmatched temperature management allowing the club to train in the open the year long.

It was in October 2018 that the Revolution broke ground on the 68-acre parcel. The club walked the extra mile to keep intact the pristine sheen of the site (natural New England aesthetic). A major part of the land comprises wetlands and riverfront under local, State, and federal protections. Construction was done in such a manner so that the natural environment remained intact. Specially engineered soils and native wetland and upland seed mixes were used to minimize the impact on any developed land.

Keeping sustainability factor high on the agenda, the club replanted more than 350 native trees, 550 shrubs, and over 1,000 grasses and herbaceous ground cover plants on the property. As a result, the Revolution Training Center is a verdant space in all its resplendence and one of the most serene professional training grounds in sports.

The training ground has merged with the area which is densely wooded and exudes an aesthetic appeal. The Revolution’s new home blends seamlessly into the surrounding New England environment and the region’s fingerprints are evident throughout the complex. The wood used on the interior and exterior of the facility is thermally modified poplar sourced from New Hampshire. The 36-foot long dining table in the players’ lounge was sourced from a single 80-year-old maple tree that fell during Hurricane Irene in Western Massachusetts, then salvaged and fabricated by Saltwoods of Watertown, Mass.

Landscape architecture and engineering firm Activitas (Dedham, Mass.), civil engineering firms Pare Corporation (Foxborough, Mass.) and Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (Watertown, Mass.), and field design and construction manager Sports Turf Specialties (Wrentham, Mass.) and Irrigation Consulting, Inc. (Nashua, N.H.) have worked through the sweat of their brows to design and develop the new facility.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Coliseum facilitates a dialogue between stadiums, arenas, clubs, leagues and experts and enables them to learn from each other while establishing relationships. Coliseum’s digital 365Coliseum Business Center is a vast pool of resource for the stadium and arena industry world-wide.

• Tags »
• Brian Bilello
• Bruce Arena
• New England Revolution
• Populous
• training center

« Previous News: Rafa Nadal Academy to hone tennis stars in Kuwait
» Next News: Ambitious plan to expand Boca Juniors stadium come to light