Boston professional women’s soccer team considering BOS Nation FC name change

BOS Nation Football Club may be a name of the past before Boston’s professional women’s soccer team even takes the pitch.

It has been an unsettling start for the city’s newest sports team, with consideration of a name change coming after the club apologized for its “Too Many Balls” campaign last month.

“We want to assure you that we have heard your feedback and are actively listening,” the team wrote in an update to fans before Thanksgiving. “We share your high expectations, and together, we will build a storied club that reflects the essence of the beautiful game and the character of our dynamic city.”

“To that end,” the update continues, “we have launched a deliberate process through which we will seek out, listen to, and reflect on input about our team name from fans, supporters, and a group of advisors assembled to reflect a diverse range of voices and perspectives. We are approaching this work with an open mind and will report back as soon as we have more to share.”

Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female ownership group, launched its team name and campaign in October, receiving scathing criticism on social media.

BOS Nation FC is slated to kick off its inaugural season in 2026 as the 15th franchise of the National Women’s Soccer League at Franklin Park’s White Stadium, a plan that has drawn the ire of a community group that has taken its fight to the courts.

Key investors of the team include Boston Globe CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry, Olympic champion gymnast Aly Raisman and actress and producer Elizabeth Banks.

Jennifer Epstein, controlling owner of BOS Nation FC and Boston Unity Soccer Partners, appeared on CBS Mornings Plus the day the unveil went live, speaking about the team name.

“It starts with the word ‘Bostonian,’ those nine letters, that make up that word, which are so meaningful to those of us that come from there,” Epstein said last month. “When you rearrange those letters it’s an anagram, and you get BOS Nation.”

“That was very intentional because this team name is fan-centric, fan-first,” she added. “Our new identity is made up of the diverse communities that live in our strong city and have a love or will soon have a love for the world’s beautiful game.”

In considering the name change, the team said it’s hosting sessions to engage with fans, women’s sports advocates, former players and Boston leaders. It is also “assembling brand advisors.”

A video that introduced the “Too Many Balls” campaign included cameos from Boston sports legends, today’s athletes, and messaging “playfully pointing out that in a city filled with championships, its sports heroes need not all be male.”

No athletes from the area’s women’s sports teams appeared in the roughly minute-long clip. It also featured a viral video of a fan throwing out a first pitch at Fenway Park that hit a photographer behind home plate in the groin area.

“We fully acknowledge that the content of the campaign did not reflect the safe and welcoming environment we strive to create for all, and we apologize to the LGBTQ+ community and to the trans community in particular for the hurt we caused,” the team said in an apology.

One person on X responded to the apology, saying, “It was also just bad. At its face, defining women on the existence of men is just a really weak marketing play in 2024 also in a women’s pro league that’s in its second decade. Devalues the product and minimizes the players’ excellence.”

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