Image | Courtesy of Town of Stow
Masters Academy International will operate from an 82 acre campus formerly used by Bose Corp.
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New $84M youth athletic academy at former Bose campus in Stow to be site of USA Fencing center
Rendering | Courtesy of Town of Stow
Masters Academy International is set to be the first youth athletic academy of its type in New England.
A former Bose Corp. campus in Stow is set to be the site of an $83.8-million private boarding academy focused on developing students into elite athletes, with USA Fencing partnering with the school to create the country’s first dedicated fencing performance center and national academy.
Founded by brothers Peter and Chris Masters, co-owners of the Marlborough-based Boston Junior Bruins amateur hockey program, Masters Academy International will be an 82-acre campus featuring athletic facilities, classrooms, and dorms, according to documents filed with the Town of Stow.
Located at 688 Great Road, Masters Academy International purchased the site for $9.82 million on Monday, according to Middlesex South Registry of Deeds records. The site was purchased from 123 Outlier LLC, a Worcester-based entity managed by art collector and entrepreneur Clifford Schorer.
Schorer acquired the site from Bose in May 2024 for $2.3 million. After first occupying the campus in 2003, Bose moved the site’s 1,500 employees to its headquarters in Framingham in 2021.
The first academy of its kind in New England, Masters Academy International expects to serve more than 500 students ranging from grades 6-12 across more than 10 sports. The academy expects to open in the fall of 2026.
USA Fencing’s new performance center will include expansive fencing halls, recovery suites, and sports science labs, according to a press release issued by the national governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport on Thursday.
USA Fencing’s headquarters will remain at its current location of Colorado Springs, Colorado for now, but the body is considering moving it to Stow or another location, according to Sports Business Journal.
The Stow project, expected to result in 190 new jobs, received $2.85 million in economic development incentive program tax credits from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development, according to a June 25 press release from EOED.
Boarding tuition will cost upwards of $65,000, with day student tuition costing more than $45,000, according to documents submitted to the Town of Stow. Financial aid will be available for those who qualify.
The typical day for boarding students will involve four hours of athletic training and five hours of academics, with sports including ice hockey, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and e-sports. The school’s leadership includes Rich Odell, a former executive at IMG Academy, a prominent Florida-based youth sports academy which Masters Academy is basing its business model on.
"Bringing the Olympic & Paralympic sport of fencing to Stow, as part of this new powerhouse sports academy, will result in numerous exciting economic development opportunities for the Town and the region. I was honored to play a role in connecting local interests with state support to help the bid succeed," State Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow) said in the Thursday press release "Stow's proximity to major airports and highways, as well as access to world class athletes and the Masters Academy's desirable facilities, all helped make this the right decision for USA Fencing."
Masters Academy International is expecting a 30% internal rate of return on its investment, according to documents submitted to the Town of Stow. Youth sports is now a $40-billion business in the United States, according to The New York Times.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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