The NWSL team in Boston has officially announced its new name: Boston Legacy Football Club. This decision comes after the team initially faced criticism for their first name choice, BOS Nation FC.
Boston was granted an NWSL expansion team in September 2023. They have the longest time to prepare for their first season compared to other new NWSL teams. Denver NWSL, the 16th expansion team, was announced in January, and both Boston and Denver are scheduled to begin playing in 2026. The Boston Legacy name reveal follows a marketing campaign that was not well-received, launched around the BOS Nation FC name.
Team owner Jennifer Epstein stated, “Our name is just the start. What truly matters is what we build together through hard work, dedication, and determination. We want our values to represent Boston`s competitive spirit, passion, and pride. We also want to honor those who came before us and helped build women`s professional soccer in Boston. Looking ahead, we are excited for the future generation of players and fans who will continue to build on what we are creating today.”
Following negative reactions from fans online and locally to the original name and marketing, the club apologized publicly, especially to the LGBTQ+ community, for any offense caused. They promised to improve and listen to their fans.
As a first step, the club listened to fan feedback. They shared on their team blog that they conducted a survey with 1,500 fans and soccer industry experts. They received over 500 name suggestions and feedback from social media, survey responses, and advisors with experience in women`s soccer.
The club then invited over 400 people to focused listening sessions to discuss feedback in detail. These smaller sessions helped the club define the key criteria for the new name. The final name had to:
- Respect Boston`s history and diverse communities
- Celebrate women`s soccer
- Unite as many Bostonians as possible
- Be easily understood
- Be timeless
- Avoid colonial, Revolutionary War, and nautical themes
- Not clash with existing Boston women`s professional team themes
The team will announce their official colors and team crest later. However, the name announcement used a bright green color. Boston Legacy FC`s launch will mark the return of an NWSL team to the New England area for the first time in almost ten years.
The Boston Breakers, a former NWSL team, closed down before the 2018 season after playing in previous leagues like the WUSA and WPS. Now, when Boston Legacy takes the field, they will wear uniforms with the name Boston Legacy.
Kristine Lilly, former USWNT midfielder, two-time World Cup winner, and advisor to the club during the renaming, said, “It`s always a great day when women`s professional soccer returns to Boston. I`m excited to see Boston Legacy build a club for a new generation while honoring those who helped grow the game before. This is an exciting time for women`s soccer, and I`m looking forward to supporting Boston Legacy.”
