Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Events And Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Foxborough board demands binding funding guarantees before issuing World Cup entertainment license
Summary
Town officials pressed Boston Soccer 26, FIFA and promoters for clear financial responsibility for security and operational costs for World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium; staff said any license will require the town be made whole and that FEMA/state grant decisions are pending.
Select board members in Foxborough pressed FIFA representatives and host‑committee representatives on Feb. 17 for binding assurances about who will pay for security and other public‑safety costs tied to World Cup events at Gillette Stadium.
Town staff said an application to FEMA (via the state) to mitigate security costs has been forwarded and OGR recommended distributions to FEMA for review. "OGR has provided that. We cannot see that because it's a grant process that's run by the state," a town official said about the grant paperwork.
Kevin Clark, director of venue operations for FIFA 26 in Foxborough, said FIFA could address operational questions but deferred financial‑responsibility discussions to the stadium and host city teams: "With respect to the financial agreement, we have to defer to both the stadium and the host city. We are not in a position to comment on the financial requirements." (Kevin Clark, FIFA venue operations.)
Board members repeatedly demanded a clear funding plan. Town staff said the license prepared for FIFA will include a requirement that the town be made whole for expenses borne in advance or not reimbursed by grants. "The license will obviously include the fact that the town has to be made whole on all of these expenses," a member of the town team said.
Several select board members expressed frustration at ongoing uncertainty and warned they would not issue an entertainment license without firm guarantees (written commitments, bonded funds or equivalent assurance) that the town would not assume unreimbursed costs for security, staffing and related operations. Board members also emphasized the town's limited fiscal capacity and the near‑term timing pressures to order equipment and staff details ahead of the events.
FEMA and state grant timing remain uncertain but, officials said, the White House task force and some state channels continue to process applications during the federal shutdown. The board did not approve a license at the meeting and signaled that written proof of funding responsibility will be a threshold condition for any license.
