Funding Question Threatens Plans for World Cup Play at Boston Area

Plans to hold World Cup matches in Gillette Stadium at Foxborough, Massachusetts, have encountered an unexpected obstacle that could jeopardize plans to stage part of the globe’s biggest sporting event in the Boston area.Local officials are refusing to sign off on a required entertainment license for Gillette Stadium until they receive firm assurances that taxpayers will not be left covering an estimated $8 million public safety bill.According to the Athletic, town officials want commitments regarding who will pay for the police staffing, emergency services, traffic control and other operational costs tied to the tournament before signing off on the license. Foxborough is estimating those expenses and other deployments could cost up to $8 million, a staggering figure for a municipality of roughly 18,500 residents.Town officials are less concerned about whether funding will materialize than when. They say they need the financial commitment because their public safety budget will not allow them to front that much money and wait for a reimbursement.Foxborough has set a deadline of March 17 to have the funding arrangement clarified before it will grant the license, which is required for any large-scale event at the stadium, including New England Patriots games. Both Gillette Stadium and the Patriots are owned by the Kraft Group, but the town owns the land, giving local officials leverage.Town manager William Keegan told the Athletic that fronting the money is too big of a risk for the small municipality, adding the town can’t rely on reimbursement funding. Foxborough said spending $8 million on World Cup public safety would consume a significant share of local finances.Preparations are already underway for World Cup play, which is set to begin this summer at 11 American host cities. The federal government has earmarked $625 million for security preparedness at those cities, but it’s uncertain how much any specific site will receive and when.Michael Loynd, the president of Boston’s World Cup host city committee, said his organization is “contractually obligated” to handle public safety costs, something all 11 American host cities will receive help with.But local officials are uneasy with that approach. “Our issue quite honestly is grants don’t really work for us in the sense of timing,” Bill Yukna, a member of Foxborough’s select board, told the Boston Globe last week. “We obviously would have to pay all the officers and any of the [new capital] purchases before the grant would reimburse us.”The first World Cup match at Gillette Stadium, which will be called Boston Stadium during the World Cup per FIFA venue naming rules, is set for June 13 when Scotland faces Haiti. The stadium will also host a quarterfinal match on July 9.The issue of who pays for public safety is closer to a hiccup than a deal breaker, but a resolution is urgently needed so that officials can finalize security and transportation plans and aid local businesses in planning inventory, staffing and operating hours.

Funding Question Threatens Plans for World Cup Play at Boston Area

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