Like everyone else in this neighborhood, he has thoughts about the nearby Gillette Stadium and its owners, about the hassles and quirks of game days and concerts and general revelry the stadium brings. Davis had expected the worst from this World Cup, namely, unimaginable traffic congestion, but he’s been impressed with how smoothly things have gone. The trains to the stadium have worked well. Other fans have also planned ahead of time, booking large vans or buses to Gillette or thereabouts.
For Davis it shows what his town can handle. “I really hope it opens it up for a possible Super Bowl here,” he said.
In this part of town, large scale events are an accepted part of life. Locals know to avoid nearby Route 1 when Gillette is packed. If they have an errand to run, they take backroads, many of which are closed down to all but local residents. Cops, sheriff’s deputies, sometimes even public works employees, man checkpoints on the residential side streets to prevent randos from parking wherever they please.
The relationship between the town, its residents, and the stadium and its ownership, which is spearheaded by Robert Kraft, can be a complicated one.
Indeed, the town and Kraft are currently embroiled in legal fight over public safety costs associated with events at the venue. Just this week, the town asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Kraft’s family company, arguing that the company, not local taxpayers, is contractually obligated to pay the public safety costs associated with events at the venue.
Kraft Sports and Entertainment LLC and the New England Patriots sued the town in Norfolk Superior Court last month, accusing Foxborough officials of improperly using the stadium’s annual entertainment license renewal to impose nearly $1 million in charges that are not authorized under state law.
For some here in Foxborough, the Krafts are elitists who do what they want with little consideration for the town’s needs. Critics say anytime they don’t get what they want, they threaten the town with legal action.
“The relationship between the Krafts and the town of Foxborough has improved over the years, however, they’re bullies, plain and simple,” said Bert Delaney, a 58-year-old high school principal and former town selectman who grew up here.
For Delaney, any and all costs related to events at the stadium should be paid by the Krafts. He is curious, when the dust has settled from this World Cup, to see what the net gain for the town was after it hosted seven games of the international tournament.
“That’s what I want to know,” he said over the phone this week.
He’s not alone in his criticism of Bob Kraft. Some residents think Kraft could and should do more for Foxborough, whether it be giving the town more money, hiring more town residents to work for the stadium, or even offering to pay for the paving of a certain number of town streets each year.
“When he snaps his fingers, he wants the town to jump,” said Paul Morrison, a 68-year-old retired correction officer who has lived in Foxborough since 1998. “I don’t think it should be that way.”
To be sure, no community is a monolith and not everyone in Foxborough feels that way. The stadium, home to the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, which Kraft also owns, gives the town much of its identity. Without it, Foxborough could be just another locale in a seemingly endless sea of suburbia in the southeast part of the state.
“He does some positive things for the town,” said Frank Celoza, a 70-year-old North Street resident and retired software developer of Kraft.
Indeed, Kraft Sports + Entertainment spokeswoman Anisha Chakrabarti said in a Thursday statement that the partnership between the town and stadium ownership has transformed Gillette, and the surrounding Patriot Place, “into a year-round destination that generates millions of dollars for the town annually, supports local businesses, creates thousands of jobs, and has put Foxborough on the global stage.”
Chakrabarti also ticked off how much money the ownership group pays to the town. Between 2023 and 2025, Gillette Stadium and its affiliates paid approximately $42 million to the town, she said. In 2025 alone, total payments to the town exceeded $14.9 million, including more than $4 million for police, fire, and EMS detail services, she said.
“The jobs, tax revenue, local spending, infrastructure investments, charitable support, and international visibility associated with Gillette Stadium have become part of the fabric of the community, and they are the result of sustained private investment and a strong partnership with the town,” she said.
Back on North Street, John Powers thinks the Krafts have a point with the lawsuit, he said he agrees with the thrust of the complaint.
Powers, a 76-year-old who still works part-time at the horse track at Plainridge Park, has lived here for 31 years. During Patriots games, you can here the roar of the crowd from his backyard. If the crowd is going nuts, you know things are going well for the home team. If there is silence, there are likely problems for the Patriots.
His main beef currently is not with the Krafts, but with the town. Like Davis down the street, he parks cars at his property for events. But unlike Davis, he doesn’t have a license to do so. When he inquired about getting one, he said, he was told his property wasn’t zoned properly. During one recent World Cup match, he was dinged with fines, $100 for every car over 10 on his property, for $400 total.
“It’s irritating,” he said.
Residents in this neighborhood all have stories or anecdotes related to events at the stadium. Skinnydippers going for a late night swim in a neighbor’s pool after a concert. Revelers urinating in their front yard after a big game. Youths emerging from a strand of woods near the stadium bewildered and lost. Women walking barefoot along Route 1 after CountryFest, their feet all cut up.
And the World Cup has brought vignettes of joy to the neighborhood. One Haitian family threw a huge barbecue and invited kilted Scots off the street to dig into plates of rice and beans before the two nations faced off. Outside the stadium before another game, Norwegians and Iraqis formed a circle and juggled a soccer ball together.
Davis has been parking people at his home for stadium events since a Grateful Dead concert in 1989. His lot is licensed. He has liability insurance for the parking operation, and had to submit a schematic of his yard to obtain a necessary permit. He’s required to offer toilets for his parking patrons and be trained in first aid and Narcan.
He is among those who think the town has benefited from Kraft.
“He’s done so much and people expect so much more,” he said.
All told, he enjoys living near the stadium.
“I like the energy,” he said. “You can’t help but be a football fan.”
Shannon Larson of Globe staff contributed.
Danny McDonald can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @Danny__McDonald.
