By Hatim Jean Louis and Tony DaRocha

Thirty-two years ago, Lynn Jennings, who grew up an hour west of Boston, became the first American woman to win three consecutive world cross country championships. And she did it, in her words, in “her own backyard.” 

The nearly four-mile course wound through the hills and trails of Franklin Park, finishing in none other than White Stadium. Back then, it wasn’t hard to imagine the stadium hosting a world-class race. When it was built in 1949, White Stadium was considered state-of-the-art. Some 75 years later, it’s a different story.

Today, the track at White Stadium fails to meet the standards required for hosting any events held by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), the Mass State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA), or USA Track and Field.

The  surface is bubbling up in some places; in others, it’s riddled with holes. The inner curb around one of the turns is crumbling, the long jump and triple jump lack adequate runway, and the facility doesn’t have enough hurdles to run a 100m race in all six of its lanes (not to mention that most modern tracks have eight lanes).

Forget world championships. Today, White Stadium’s track is barely fit to host practices. And it’s not just our track and field athletes who are impacted. Ask any coach or student-athlete what it’s like to play on the White Stadium field in the days after a heavy rain, like the kind we saw recently, and they’ll tell you there are spots where you’d be lucky not to lose your cleats in the mud. It’s no wonder that BPS participation rates in athletics are almost half the state average.

And what about the fans? Parents, grandparents, siblings, neighbors, and friends of have BPS student-athletes, please note: If you use a wheelchair, you can’t watch them compete because none of the stands are wheelchair accessible. Our student-athletes and their coaches, families, and supporters deserve the best. Today, White Stadium doesn’t even offer the bare minimum.

The good news is: That’s changing.

Thanks to a partnership between Mayor Wu and Boston Unity Soccer Partners (BUSP), White Stadium will be renovated and restored as the state-of-the-art facility it once was. The proposal would establish a professional grade, ADA-accessible, multi-sport athletic complex jointly funded by the City of Boston and BUSP.

It would also create an eight-lane track that will meet the standards for hosting MIAA, MSTCA, and US Track & Field events, and it would add game-changing amenities like new locker rooms, a strength and conditioning space with ten full training racks, plus a turf floor for dynamic indoor workouts. The renovations also include adding a sports medicine suite and treatment area complete with training tables, exam rooms, and office space.

In addition, the plan calls for student lounges and study spaces so that our student-athletes have the resources they need to be students first. Today, they lose valuable time commuting to and from the stadium just trying to find a place to study and get homework done before, after, and in between practices.

It’s hard to overstate the impact that the creation of a world-class, district-wide athletic hub will have for the BPS Athletics community – the student-athletes, coaches, families, and fans. From off-season training; increased performance, fewer injuries, and better treatment; internship, scholarship, and youth sports programming opportunities; accessibility for para-athletes and fans with disabilities; the ability to host regulation events; and dedicated spaces for academic programming and support…the list is endless.

And one of the best parts is that the Boston Unity Soccer Partners will provide year-round maintenance and operations all at no cost to Boston Public Schools or taxpayers.

Of course, it is still a big investment on the city’s part. We’ve all seen the price tag. But, frankly, it should be a big investment.

We will get out of this project what we put into it, and for decades now what’s been put into White Stadium has been next to nothing, and the sad results speak for themselves. The City of Champions shouldn’t be home to a stadium in shambles. It’s time to invest in a facility that lives up to our name and provides the kind of amenities, environment, and opportunities that our young people and communities deserve.

Hatim Jean Louis is the head coach of the Boston Public Schools Cross Country program. Tony DaRocha is a BPS track coach, president of Boston United Track & Cross Country Club; and head coach of Cross Country at Emmanuel College.