As Boston Legacy FC’s first employee, Vanessa Bruce has been through it all.
She was there when the club decided on its first name, the ill-fated BOS Nation and its current name. She was there to witness their successful rebranding. She was excited to see the Legacy freshman class’ preseason report last month, a sign that things are finally coming together. For nearly three years, Bruce, the club’s director of innovation and strategic programs, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help return professional women’s soccer to the Boston area and help the club realize its vision.
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On Friday, the club reached another milestone: unveiling its first home kit to the world.
“I’m honored to be able to reveal this to several key individuals, including our staff and players,” Bruce told Competitor. “They’ll be the first ones to put these clothes on, which makes it tangible. It makes it real. It’s one step closer to March 14th when we take the field for the first time.”
Dubbed “First Light,” the jersey features the Boston Legends’ color scheme: Stadium White, Heritage Green, Jet Black and Fireberry. The simple uniform is mostly covered in bright green with pink trim and black lining. They also feature the club’s crest, located near the heart, above the TJMaxx front sponsor. Two dancing bears and a football logo with “26” inside commemorate the team’s first season in the NWSL. The bears represent the forgotten, historic bear enclosure at Franklin Park near White Stadium, a tribute to their eventual home and Boston’s rich history.
The team will play its home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and the Rhode Island football-specific Centerville Bank Stadium before moving into White Stadium upon completion in 2027.
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“We’ve seen this jersey many, many times and to be able to reveal it now is a really proud moment for us,” said Stephanie Connaughton, one of the club’s founders. Competitor. “In many ways, the jersey is a key way for fans to say, ‘Hey, I’m part of this club.’ It’s something that connects fans and players because they can both wear the jersey.” “
It took Nike two years to make this kit a reality. First, the club sends its vision, ethos and colors to the sports retailer. The team wants to stand out in the crowded Boston pro sports market, so the club tends to respect the city’s green landscape. The reason is that other clubs focus on the classic red, white and blue colors (NFL’s New England Patriots, MLS’s New England Revolution, MLB’s Boston Red Sox), the city’s maritime history (PWHL’s Boston Fleet) or different shades of green (NBA’s Boston Celtics).
“The founders have always had this vision for the community, to be bold and bold, to build a 100-year legacy,” Bruce said. “That really feeds into the way we introduced this to Nike two years ago. We don’t have a name. We don’t have a brand. We have the spirit of who we are, the city we call home and where we come from.”
Bruce said the uniforms will “honor the legacy of Boston sports and create our own history.”
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Connaughton said the pop of green was “warmly received” by Boston-area NWSL fans before the team even had a name. The greens were essentially the centerpiece of the club’s first kit. The club’s second and third kits will be unveiled on February 26 at the Cyclorama, which operates the Center for the Arts in Boston.
“I think green is a metaphor for many things. It’s very modern and has a positive energy and joy to it – when you see it, you can’t help but resonate with the color,” Connaughton said.
“It became a cornerstone of this jersey and the brand in a lot of ways because it symbolizes how our fans view women’s sports, the NWSL and women’s soccer, especially that positive vibe.”
The team’s green also stands out in the ever-expanding NWSL, which already features various shades of green. Louisville Racing’s ancillary equipment features a “dark green hue.” Fellow expansion team Denver Summit FC also has “Forest Green” in its branding, launching in July. and the Kansas City Trend’s signature teal color.
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“We knew it was a winner because it was going to come out on top, which is really important for an expansion team,” Connaughton said. “We wanted to have an instant identity that was distinctive and eye-catching, and of course, that’s what green is.”
For Boston Heritage, unveiling their jerseys is an important step as the club gets closer to their inaugural season.
The team is already on the field. They played their first preseason game last week against the Washington Spirit in Bradenton, Florida, and now head to Spain to face the Chicago Stars on Saturday and two European clubs the following week.
The club will open the NWSL season on March 14 at Gillette Stadium against 2025 NWSL champion Gotham FC.
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Bruce described the excitement and joy in the room when they first showed the new jerseys to the players. From that point on, she started imagining her first game against Gotham.
“You can start to picture the players wearing these jerseys and playing. You can start to picture the fans in the stands with badges on their chests, cheering,” Bruce said. “It makes it more real, like you’re one step closer to getting into that stadium, filling that stadium and growing the sport.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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