FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Growing up in Stow, Massachusetts, Nell Valle was surrounded by nature. As an illustrator, she draws heavily from that upbringing, centering her work on the wildlife and natural elements she grew up with. Born in Guangzhou, China, Valle blends her New England roots with influences from Chinese art, focusing on creating a feeling through her work rather than producing hyper‑realistic pieces. Her comic style uses characters, colors, and patterns to spread positivity and light.
When asked to design the scarf for this season’s AAPI Night at Gillette Stadium, Valle was overjoyed and used the opportunity to blend symbolism often found in Asian cultures with imagery inspired by the New England Revolution.
“This opportunity honestly meant everything to me. I’m a small artist and when it comes to opportunities like this, it doesn’t happen often. For me it shows that not only I can do it, but someone else out there can, too,” explained Valle. “I’ve gotten very connected with Chinatown in Boston and after the pandemic, I was able to see this community thrive and see how beautiful it is. I also saw what elements were under attack, both due to gentrification and Asian hate during the pandemic. So, this really shows how important representation, sharing your voice and uplifting – not only AAPI voices – but all people of color is. I really value this opportunity. I think the Revolution does such amazing work to bring that representation to the sports community.”
Valle’s scarf design, made to celebrate the AAPI community, will be available at the Gillette Stadium ProShop and in-stadium merchandise shops on AAPI Night on May 2, as the Revolution take on Charlotte FC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
One side of the scarf features a pattern of the lotus flower, a symbol of resilience and rebirth across many Asian cultures. Whether intentional or not, the lotus is a fitting emblem for New England’s season. After two years of inconsistent performances led to back-to-back playoff misses, the Revolution appear to have undergone their own kind of rebirth. Like the lotus, which rises through muddy water to bloom, New England seem to have pushed past recent struggles, now sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference under head coach Marko Mitrović following a five‑game unbeaten run.
The flip side of the scarf features illustrations signature to Valle’s style, with graphics of clouds, waves, the lotus flower, and a soccer ball. The drawings are purposefully simple, Valle explained, leaving room for individual interpretation.
“I really wanted to make something a little more graphic and in conversation with those natural elements. I was thinking that the soccer ball coming in is showing that it's a soccer scarf, but also playing with the idea of the sun. It's the star of the show. Then the waves also can be seen as noodles. So, it's very much up for interpretation because it's very simplistic, but also still playing with these natural elements,” Valle said. “There's another lotus on that side and the last one was the clouds, so it makes the feeling of air. We have water, air, sun, and fire. Then the lotus shows the Earth element, too.”
While Valle doesn’t have a close relationship with soccer herself, her husband grew up a Revolution fan, and this project has built a connection between her and the sport.
“I have so much respect for the players and the community that surrounds this team. I've seen it in my own life with my husband. He is a huge Revolution fan, so are some of his family members. So, doing this felt like I was doing the work for them, which feels really special,” she said.
Along with Valle’s special AAPI scarf, the Revolution’s match against Charlotte FC will feature fried chicken teriyaki dumplings as an in-stadium menu item, dozens of tables in the Fan Zone representing different AAPI communities and businesses in the New England area, on-stage performances, cosplayers, and plenty of in-stadium activations celebrating Asian cultures.
Valle will be honored as the Hero of the Match, sporting her scarf with pride. It promises to be a fun night celebrating diversity and a chance for the Revs to continue building on their perfect home form (4-0-0) as they look to extend their unbeaten streak to six games.
