Boston Unity Soccer Partners, which was awarded an NWSL franchise last year, unveiled its team name, brand and colors on Tuesday. BOS Nation Football Club will start play in 2026 as the 15th NWSL franchise.
The club also announced a pair of new celebrity investors, actress Elizabeth Banks and Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, who both grew up in Massachusetts. The core ownership group of BOS Nation is all women and includes Jennifer Epstein, who is the control owner, as well as Stephanie Connaughton, Anna Palmer and Ami Kuan Danoff.
“I’m excited for the BOS Nation FC players to experience the same love and passion I’ve received from the Boston community and look forward to watching them inspire the next generation,” Raisman said in a statement.
The club said its name represents a “collective identity made up entirely of its fan base,” with BOS Nation an anagram of Bostonian. The team’s primary color will be “championship green.”
The brand identity is launching with a billboard and digital ad campaign “Too Many Balls.” The cheeky tone of the campaign highlights Boston sports championships won by men and a new era that includes women’s sports. Local sports heroes Tom Brady, Jaylen Brown, David Ortiz and David Pastrnak all make cameos.
BOS Nation will play its home games at White Stadium in Franklin Park. The city and team are splitting a roughly $100 million renovation of the 75-year-old venue, which will also enable increased usage by Boston public school athletics.
The Boston NWSL franchise is part of a massive ownership turnover in the league. Every club outside of the North Carolina Courage is either an expansion team or has a new control owner since 2020. Billionaire Marc Lasry recently signed a letter of intent, typically a non-binding document outlining the basic deal points, to buy 60% of the Courage.
The NWSL has three weeks left in its 2024 season, and the league is focused on adding a 16th franchise, which will likely be the last new team for the near future. It is expected that contending organizations will need to pay much more than the $53 million that Bay FC and Boston paid to enter the NWSL. Multiple owners want a nine-figure franchise fee for team 16. Nashville, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Miami, Denver and Cleveland have all looked at joining the league, with a decision expected before year’s end. Minnesota recently announced it was out of the running.
The average NWSL team is worth $104 million, up 57% from a year ago, according to Sportico’s calculations.
