Will soccer fever ever hit North America and what does it feel to have a soccer stadium in Pawtucket? By George Sisca
Part 1
Fútbol is the biggest sport in the world, but in the United States, soccer has not found its footing yet.
America’s pastime, a nickname for baseball, has been played in the U.S. since before the civil war. Today, Major League Baseball adjusts to the modern psyche. The addition of the pitch clock, and a limitation on pick-off attempts, make the game a faster paced event, delivering stimuli quickly to the customer.
Many athletes played in Pawtucket, R.I., before being called up to Major League Baseball, such as Rafeal Devers, Jim Rice, and Wade Boggs.
McCoy stadium, previously located in Pawtucket, recently demolished after a dispute with the City of Pawtucket, hosted the Pawtucket Red Sox, “the Paw Sox,” a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Boston Red Sox. The stadium was a popular place for families, because of lower priced tickets and popular baseball commodities, such as peanuts and cracker jacks.
Located in walking distance of the former McCoy Stadium is the brand new facility for the Rhode Island Football Club.. A new majestic stadium, along the Seekonk River called Centerville Bank Stadium.
Pat Camp, 60, is a combat veteran and works as a case worker for Operation Stand down, which is a non-profit organization that assists veterans with a range of services, such as housing, case management and basic human assistance.
“I like it (Centerville Stadium), it beats driving up to see the Revs,” Pat Camp says, sitting outside the park, referring to the New England Revolution, a Major League Soccer team that plays at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough Massachusetts.
Pat says that the Mayor of Pawtucket, Don Grebien, tried to keep McCoy in Pawtucket, but, according to Pat, the former disgraced R.I Speaker of the House, Nick Mattiello and former governor Gina Raimondo, “nixed’ the deal.
Former Paw Sox owner, Larry Luccino, tried to keep the Paw Sox in Pawtucket, and had a plan to develop Pawtucket like “Kraft did at Gillette,” Pat says, with shopping and restaurants to induce economic growth.
The Paw Sox had an initial agreement to rebuild a new stadium for the ball club, but the R.I. General Assembly, like Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, altered the deal.
This renege from the General Assembly resulted in the beloved Paw Sox to move to their new place, Polar Park in Worcester, Mass.
Roberto H. Moreno, City Councilman for Pawtucket emailed a brief statement on this subject, "While the loss of McCoy Stadium marked the end of an era, voters embraced a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unify our city by approving a new state-of-the-art high school, one that I was proud to support during my final term on the School Committee.”
“With over 90% of the project eligible for reimbursement, it eases the burden on taxpayers while investing in our future,” Moreno continues. “On the Council, I was excited to come on board as the RI FC and Tidewater Landing project reached fruition - another generational milestone for Pawtucket. At the same time, I believed responsible due diligence was essential, which is why I asked the important question about written assurances to protect Pawtucket’s taxpayers. Today, I’m proud to attend games throughout the season, support a team that’s created jobs, and celebrate the renewed sense of camaraderie in our city."
Sorani Gonzalez, 43 a business analyst and resident of Pawtucket is optimistic about the new stadium located in her home town.
“Soccer is very popular around the world and I’m very optimistic about the stadium bringing in revenue to the state.” Sorani says.
Part of that revenue comes from parking, which is subcontracted and managed by the LAZ parking. The city needs funds, considering the amount of overtime Pawtucket spends on police. An audit of the 2023 fiscal year shows rampant spending in overtime for both police and fire departments.
LAZ supervisor Jaques Augustin, guards the sold out VIP section, T1, located adjacent to the stadium. This is the first job of the day for Jaques, as he is also a BJ’s warehouse manager. Jaques was pleasant, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., a closet Yankee fan living in Cranson R.I., and lived in the south for 20 years.
Unfortunately not all of the LAZ workers were so kind. Subcontracting out work can lead to poor work performance and elevated rates.
Some of the LAZ attendants get confrontational, using horrific homophobic language when asked where to park, a seemingly normal question considering their bright yellow uniform that says, LAZ parking.
Sgt. Mederious, of the Pawtucket Police department, working an overtime shift, said there is free parking if you arrive early enough, but the litany of signs around the stadium that say no parking or permit parking only, can easily confuse a driver looking to park.
Rhode Island residents use directions such as, “It’s where the old Dunkin Donuts used to be,” instead of numbers to plug into modern navigation applications Waze, and the Iphone Maps app.
Almost any R.I. resident understands where to go, if told free parking is near the old McCoy stadium. There is free parking in lot M19 at 350 Division Rd, about a twenty minute walk from the stadium.
Part 2
A man wearing the RIFC team jersey, yellow and bay blue, waits in line to get into the stadium. Aaron is 54, a property manager in downtown Boston and a season ticket holder for both RIFC and the Revs. He drives to Pawtucket from Quincy Mass., which depending on traffic, could be an hour long drive.
Even with all the travel, he says he attends 95 percent of the games and gives tickets he can’t use away to friends, “it’s a pretty social event for us,” Aaron says.
The Paw Sox eventually did get their new stadium in Worcester, Mass., and Aaron has been there before. “The new Polar Park, It’s a beautiful stadium, you guys should really check it out.” “for nine bucks a game, there are multiple places to sit and enjoy.”
“I paid twenty dollars for parking, and paid seventeen dollars for the ticket, being a (RIFC) season ticket holder.” Aaron says, “How ridiculous is that?
Dave Ambrose is 44-year-old high school English teacher in Medford Mass., and the Pack 12 scoutmaster out of Cumberland, R.I. Dave arranged for the scouts down to be on field level to watch warmups.
“It’s awesome, all three of my kids play soccer.” referring to having a stadium in R.I. “There’s a player for RIFC, who grew up in Cranston, and played for Providence College.” Dave says.
“They’ve gotten like ten thousand people to come out, a pretty significant number.” as Dave points to his son Ben, who is watching both teams on the field. “My son Ben, plays middle school and club soccer.”
It’s cool having this (the stadium) in a small state, having soccer and build a culture around it” Ben says.
The game starts and everyone finds their seats.
Will Sicaju, is a 37 year old truck driver and Central Falls resident. Central Falls is a neighboring town. He brought his son and two step sons to watch the match.
“We’ve been following the team since they played at Bernie stadium,” Will says as the cadence of the drums playing loudly across the stadium, Rat-ta-ta-tat–ta-ta-tat-ta-ta-tat, over and over again. “I was here for opening day, and at Beirne,”
Beirne Stadium is home of NCAA Division one Bryant University, located in Smithfield, R.I. Beirne dwarfs the size of a professional stadium with a maximum capacity of less than six thousand people, and recently added seats for the growing fandom of RIFC.
“Soccer is growing in the U.S., in the recent years, it’s crazy bro, and if you look in Europe, soccer is on a different level than what soccer is here.” Will says. “Well we got the world cup coming,” Will continues, “We’re going to have a few games at Gillette stadium.”
“There are going to be parties everywhere” Will says how Centerville Stadium opens to the public for big events to watch together, such as the inaugural 2025 FIFA club world cup.”
“We love it brother, I feel like this is our family time here.” Will says proudly, looking at his sons as the match ends with RIFC defeating Detroit 1-0.
On the field coverage of the RIFC club, located in Pawtucket, RI
