• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Wellesley Square
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Camp
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Live government meetings
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Fire & police scanner
  • 2023 Town Election
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley Sports Center getting a really long new name

July 10, 2019 by Bob Brown 16 Comments

The Wellesley Sports Center, now looking to open its doors in August, has sold naming rights to a Dallas-based healthcare network that won’t be including Wellesley in the name.

The Rte. 9 venue formally will become the Boston Sports Institute, a Steward Family Facility. While that does roll off the tongue, we’re thinking The Stew, for short.

wellesley sports center exterior

Privately-held Steward Health Care, which owns a few dozen hospitals in Massachusetts and beyond, is known for being tightlipped about its financials. So not surprisingly, neither the length nor value of this naming deal is being disclosed. But the business clearly has already gotten its money’s worth by being mentioned here a few times. The shaving company that has its name on the field where the Patriots play in Foxborough is said to be paying between $6M and $20M a year for the honor.

(Speaking of which, The Swellesley Report, a Brown Family Publication, is open to naming rights deals, such as for popular pages and features like Wellesley Business Buzz, Wellesley Police Log, Where to Eat page.)

Steward will operate a roughly 7,000 sq. ft., physical therapy/strength/conditioning practice within the sports center. That resource should come in handy for those who get banged up on the skating rinks, in the pools or on the turf field at the facility, or for those looking to boost their conditioning in an effort not to get so banged up.

Ground was broken for the sports center back in late 2017 on property acquired by the town of Wellesley and once occupied by St. James the Great church.

Also note that the arena is looking to fill what many claim is a dream job: driving a zamboni.

wellesley sports center ice
Humble beginnings for one of the sports center’s ice rinks…

 

sports center ice
….and a more current view of the ice

 

MORE: A kid’s take on the Wellesley Sports Center: Logos, locker rooms, Zambonis & more

print

Filed Under: Business, Health, Sports

Comments

  1. Susan says

    July 10, 2019 at 6:46 am

    While The Stew is catchy, why is it not called The Wellesley Sports Center or Complex, isn’t that is what it is? Who is the Steward family? Can’t the community name its own facility? How much did Wellesley receive from the Steward Family to allow them to stick their name on it? I am not favorably impressed by this fancy name. Why not The Wellesley Sports Center??

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 10, 2019 at 9:03 am

      The town does not own the facility…they own the land it is on and the company building the facility is leasing the land from the town…everything is up for sale…logos, locker rooms, naming rights, they are in it to make money

      Reply
      • Susan says

        July 10, 2019 at 10:53 pm

        Gross.

        Reply
  2. Jeff Lowenstein says

    July 10, 2019 at 10:57 am

    It will always be the MegaPlex to me.

    Reply
    • bbrown says

      July 10, 2019 at 11:16 am

      I personally call the garden the garden rather than the bank name garden (even though it’s not the old garden), though not much getting around gillette stadium, which I’m sure I never called CMGI field or whatever it was called before that.

      Reply
      • Jeff Lowenstein says

        July 10, 2019 at 7:44 pm

        Does Steward know the athletic center is not in Boston?

        Reply
  3. AlKessel says

    July 10, 2019 at 2:45 pm

    My family have decided to call it The Valdez , aka Exxon Valdez=an unwanted,oversized hulk that should never have come near here in the first place !

    Reply
    • Nathalie says

      July 11, 2019 at 7:02 am

      Very funny! Hopefully it won’t sink -financially…!

      Reply
  4. Amy says

    July 12, 2019 at 1:37 am

    St. James the Inordinate?

    Reply
  5. Carol walsh says

    July 13, 2019 at 6:23 pm

    SAD! I thought Wellesley owns it! I have should have known it when Wellesley boys and girls hockey couldn’t have their own locker rooms!!!

    Reply
  6. Barbara says

    July 14, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    Nonsense. Let’s just call it the Wellesley Sports Center and be done with it.
    Forget the cute shortened names like
    The Stew. Who cares what rights they own, Wellesley owns the land.

    Reply
  7. BAM says

    July 14, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    Nonsense. Let’s just call it the Wellesley Sports Center and be done with it.
    Forget the cute shortened names like
    The Stew. Who cares what rights they own, Wellesley owns the land.

    Reply
  8. Bob says

    July 16, 2019 at 12:25 pm

    Given that they’ve sold naming rights to absolutely everything, one would hope that some of these profits go into subsidizing costs for the families, and particularly children of the town.

    Hopefully the owners understand that for this to be sustainably profitable they will need the continued support of multiple generations of townsfolk, price gauging will simply alienate an awful lot of locals.

    Given no prices have been provided despite repeated requests, I’m not holding my breath!!

    Reply
  9. Kate says

    July 18, 2019 at 8:01 am

    This whole project has been suspicious from the beginning. What benefits if any are going to be offered to the locals?

    Reply
  10. Les Paul says

    August 3, 2019 at 12:44 pm

    As a Wellesley resident, this is disappointing. Are there any programs for Wellesley residents beyond those for the schools?

    Reply
    • bbrown says

      August 3, 2019 at 3:08 pm

      There will be, details yet to be shared

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Beacon Hill Athletic Club, Wellesley
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cheesy Street Grill
Mature Caregivers
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Letters-to-the-editor day in Wellesley—important election-time updates
  • Wellesley Public Works news: A PFAS warning; Weston Road construction on tap for summer; Wood recycling hot, pricey; Town Meeting article preview
  • Wellesley business buzz: Board business liaison phased out; Help ID top business leaders of color; Hospital taps new president
  • Wellesley Cotillion makes a strong comeback

Upcoming Events

Jan 25
7:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Olin College Presents Connecting Communities 2023: Sustainability

Jan 26
9:00 am - 10:30 am

Select Board office hours—in-person or online

Jan 31
9:00 am - 11:00 am Recurring

Coffee and Conversation with the Wetlands Administrator and Staff

Jan 31
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Families Eat Together online presentation

Feb 1
11:59 pm

Deadline for Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grants application

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Peggy Heffernan on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Beth Dublin on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue
  • Erika on Where to buy the Wellesleyest stuff in Wellesley
  • Alice Roy on Inside Track has jewel of a Wellesley engagement scoop
  • Sue Morris on Wellesley Cotillion makes a strong comeback

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • 2023 Town Election (2)
  • Animals (428)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (592)
  • Beyond Wellesley (52)
  • Books (376)
  • Business (1,556)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (53)
  • Churches (82)
  • Clubs (236)
  • Construction (300)
  • Dump (130)
  • Education (3,189)
    • Babson College (252)
    • Bates Elementary School (18)
    • Dana Hall School (36)
    • Fiske Elementary School (11)
    • Hardy Elementary School (47)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (46)
    • MassBay (57)
    • Schofield Elementary School (26)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (613)
    • Wellesley High School (996)
    • Wellesley Middle School (204)
  • Embracing diversity (84)
  • Entertainment (814)
  • Environment (772)
  • Fashion (144)
  • Finance (15)
  • Fire (173)
  • Food (358)
  • Fundraising (640)
  • Gardens (164)
  • Government (603)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (15)
  • Health (866)
    • COVID-19 (203)
  • Hikes (6)
  • History (399)
  • Holidays (440)
  • Houses (162)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (867)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (10)
  • Letters to the Editor (71)
  • Media (72)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (13)
  • Morses Pond (109)
  • Music (579)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (280)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (86)
  • Outdoors (655)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (778)
    • Crime (395)
  • Politics (554)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (344)
  • Religion (138)
  • Restaurants (340)
  • Safety (154)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (127)
  • Shopping (163)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (1,011)
    • Athlete of the Week (12)
  • STEM (108)
  • Technology (165)
  • Theatre (397)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (239)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,244)
  • Volunteering (350)
  • Weather (179)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (280)
  • Wellesley Holiday Gift Guide (2)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (20)

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login