EASTHAMPTON — A proposed “festival”-style event featuring World Cup soccer games on a large LED screen at Millside Park this summer — an idea pitched by Mayor Salem Derby — is drawing pointed questions from city councilors, several of whom are raising concerns about transparency as the city faces a bleak financial outlook.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which runs from June 13 to July 9, is coming to North America this summer and has garnered excitement from soccer fans in the states. Seven matches will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. FIFA stands for “Fédération Internationale de Football Association,” a French phrase that represents the world’s federal football association.
To match that excitement from fans, the Healey administration recently awarded $10 million in grants to 17 Massachusetts communities to support fan celebrations and watch parties. The funding comes through the Sports and Entertainment Events Fund Grant Program, administered by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
Easthampton is one of the communities initially chosen for a $100,000 matching grant to host an event, meaning the city must provide the same amount of funds awarded to get the grant. Derby said the city applied for a maximum grant of $800,000. The funding and event are not officially secured yet; the city must complete a formal contract by April 21 and secure a FIFA viewing license, which has not been completed as of Wednesday.
The item drew the attention of several City Council members during their April 8 meeting. Some raised concerns about matching the grant during a financially tumultuous time for the city, while others took issue with the lack of details about the event.
“I’m just mainly curious about when the thinking was, the timeline for when this grant application was submitted, and what the idea was around the initial financial commitment from the city,” asked At-Large Councilor Kiam Jamrog McQuaid, wondering how much the city committed to pay for the grant.
Derby told councilors about the grant application at that meeting not long after announcing that the city may propose a $5.8 million override to balance a budget deficit this upcoming year. He said that applying for the grant required a quick turnaround, but that “there was never any intention to use city money.”
Describing the event, Derby said it will be a remote viewing party for World Cup games. He envisions the event will also be a celebration for MA250, a state initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and U.S. independence.
Derby said on Wednesday that four of the games would likely be displayed at the Easthampton gathering, but the event is much more than just the soccer games. There will also be music performances, games for families to play and breweries and food vendors.
The event will be free to attend, but will likely use a ticket system required for entrance and a shuttle to bring attendees from city parking lots to Millside Park.
Derby said the city is getting “an amazing deal” through a partnership with 4Life Entertainment, an Easthampton event production company that organizes concerts and festivals as far as Florida, New York and other locations.
Owner Spencer Lavoie said he connected with Derby about the idea and agreed to contribute extensive services to host such an event.
“The goal is to create a western Mass. haven for individuals to celebrate the World Cup, year 250 and Easthampton together,” Lavoie said in an interview on Wednesday.
The exact amount of funding the company will contribute to match the grant is undetermined, but Lavoie said with the services they will be providing, it will range from $50,000 to $100,000.
That funding would not be given in direct cash but rather services that 4Life provides, Lavoie said. “Essentially I would be donating them cash that they would be bringing back to me anyway,” for the services 4Life provides.
That information was not given to councilors at the April 8 meeting, several of whom said they requested the initial application and associated documents about the grant, but had not received it. Derby said on Monday there is no written agreement between the city and 4Life at this time.
As for the initial grant application, Derby told the Gazette that it was submitted by his office through an online portal, and his office does not have a copy of the application.
Jamrog-McQuaid also wondered if an agreement between the city and a private organization could be a potential public procurement “red flag.” At the council meeting, Derby said the process was vetted by city Procurement Officer Michael Owens.
Owens declined to comment on the procurement process between 4Life and the city, directing comments to Derby, who told the Gazette it is common for municipalities to work with companies for projects like this.
Precinct 4 Councilor Amanda Newton wondered what the overtime costs were going to be for public safety employees to oversee the event.
Derby said those costs will likely be covered through sponsorship deals with local businesses and organizations. “My commitment is not to spend any city money, hands down,” he said.
The mayor said the event was always intended to be an Easthampton-focused event, uplifting individuals and organizations while boosting the local economy in a time of financial hardship.
Council Vice President Felicia Jadczak said the event sounds exciting but wanted to know more about the potential impacts on the community. She also said it is a great opportunity to involve local musicians and vendors.
Council President Koni Denham asked several similar questions. She then pointed out Section 2-7 of the City Charter that gives the council the authority to call for the mayor to provide specific information on any business in the city, with five days notice.
“I just want to acknowledge that I asked for that multiple times and was basically denied access to a public document,” Denham said at the meeting about the grant documents.
In an interview with the Gazette, Denham said there is not a lot of information given to the council at this time and given the recent news about the “budget crisis” there are some unknown risks associated with the watch parties.
“I think the three councilors that have requested this information are looking for transparency and information, doing our due diligence as elected officials,” Denham said.
She added, “Look what’s happening right now, city councilors didn’t ask the tough questions a year ago and now we’re in a deficit. That’s our responsibility too.”
4Life Entertainment has met with the city twice since the April 8 meeting. Derby and Lavoie said they are having productive conversations to iron out the details of their agreement.
Derby told the Gazette he is happy to share the information with the councilors but wants to get the full details agreed upon before doing so.
“For me, it was surprising that when I introduced the fact that we’re in a deficit, that the overwhelming reaction was that we’re using a grant for economic development,” Derby said.
“I was pretty generous with answering questions and per [City] Charter, really I don’t have to answer any questions unless they are submitted five days in advance in writing,” he added.
