FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution officially unveiled the Revolution Training Center in Foxborough, Mass. on Monday. Revolution Owners Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft were joined by President Brian Bilello and Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena at 1776 Revolution Way to cut the ribbon on the $35-million complex. Spanning 68 acres in the wetlands behind Gillette Stadium, the world-class facility features a 30,000-square foot headquarters and three natural-grass fields that serves as the new home for the Revolution MLS team, Revolution II, Revolution Academy, technical staff, and front office.
The Revolution Training Center, designed by Populous, fosters an elite environment for competition and player development for players spanning the First Team through the youth ranks. The world class complex features 226,500 square feet of newly constructed grass fields, including one equipped with heating technology, a state-of-the-art fitness center, spacious team lounge and dining room, cardio training hill, and hydrotherapy room. In addition to the First Team’s expansive new locker room, which exceeds 1,200 square feet, the USL League One side and the Academy also have their own dedicated locker rooms in the facility.
“The opening of this state-of-the-art training facility is an important moment in the history of our club,” said Revolution Owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft. “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 boasts three natural-grass training fields, including two newly constructed fields abutting 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 dedicated to the Revolution Academy. The north-most First Team field is equipped with the latest in field-heating technology, a 15-million BTU glycol-based heating system that was custom designed for the club. More than 31 miles of three-quarter-inch tubing snakes beneath the playing surface, providing unrivaled temperature management allowing the club to train outdoors all year long.
The Revolution broke ground on the 68-acre parcel in October 2018. With much of the land consisting of wetlands and riverfront under local, state, and federal protections, the club took great care to preserve and embrace the site’s natural New England aesthetic. Construction involved efforts to restore and preserve the natural environment. Specially engineered soils and native wetland and upland seed mixes were used to minimize the impact on any developed land. In total, 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 one of the most stunning and serene professional training grounds in sports.
Embracing the area’s densely wooded aesthetic, 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 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.
Key partners in the design and development of the new facility include: 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.).
The Revolution First Team will convene at the training center in January to commence preseason training ahead of the original MLS side’s 25th season. New England will open the 2020 season away from home on Saturday, Feb. 29 at Montreal (3:00 p.m. ET), followed by the Gillette Stadium home opener on Saturday, March 7 vs. Chicago Fire FC (1:30 p.m. ET). Season Memberships for the 2020 season are now on sale starting at $29 per month.
