No Football In 2011: The Harsh Reality Facing Foxborough

While NFL football fans are coping with the scary proposition of no football in 2011, the town of Foxborough is dealing with an even harsher reality; no money.

It is up in the air at this point whether there will be football next season which could mean a quiet fall here in Foxborough, the heart of Patriot nation.

The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL league and the players has expired and the two sides are finding it difficult to compromise on a new one. If progress on coming to an agreement struggles, the players could possibly strike in 2011, or there could be a lock-out by the NFL.

The Town of Foxborough is fortunate to have a major stadium, where business owners and residents reap the benefits of extra stadium revenue and of the extra 68,756 visitors to town when the stadium is filled to capacity. The Patriots play eight regular season home games, which calculates to over a half of million visitors to Foxborough during the football season. That is a statistic that many towns do not get to benefit from.

However, in the case that there is no football next season, Foxborough would be left in a financial dilemma.

Town Manager, Kevin Paicos addressed the issue at the selectmen meeting on Feb. 22.

"If there was to be no football next season, Foxborough would be in serious financial trouble," said Paicos.

Paicos was asked if he had a plan in place to help cope with what would be a huge loss in revenue for the town.

"How can you plan for a loss of over $2 million? If that were to happen, it would be so catastrophic, that we would be in emergency mode. We would either have to liquidate any available money and be left penniless or be forced to have large scale layoffs," Paicos said.

Paicos is hoping that an agreement will reached between the players and the NFL, and football will play on as usual in Foxborough.