Foxboro Stadium Enables Patriots To Stay in Area

The announcement Saturday of plans to construct a stadium in Foxboro for the Patriots means that professional football will remain in the Boston area. The 57,000 seat, open-air stadium should be ready for the Patriots in September 1971.

Next Season

This still leaves the Patriots without a stadium for next season. The Globe reported yesterday that the Patriots' president William Sullivan asked the Harvard Corporation over the weekend for the use of Harvard's stadium for the 1970 games.

The Corporation met today, but it did not issue a statement on the Patriots' request. The Corporation has previously refused this request but has indicated that the Patriots might be allowed to use Harvard's stadium on a temporary basis once plans for a new football stadium became definite.

Voters Must Approve

The current plans for a new stadium are still subject to approval next week by Foxboro's 5500 registered voters. If, as expected, the plans are approved, the new stadium will be located 30 minutes from both Boston and Providence, R. I.

The merger agreement between the National and American Football Leagues required each member team to produce definite plans for a 50,000 seat stadium by this spring. Failure of the Patriots to do so would probably have meant that the team would have had to leave the Boston area.

$6 Million

The Patriots' current plans are financially more favorable than previous ones. Estimates place the cost of the Foxboro stadium at about six million dollars.