Latest news with #CentrevilleBankStadium
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Real Housewives' worries; beach makeover; Culpo's restaurant picks: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of May 11, supported by your subscriptions. Rhode Island's affordable-housing crisis has generated plenty of headlines since the pandemic. This week, The Journal explores one facet of the complex dynamics at play: the influx of out-of-state buyers, particularly from the greater Boston area. What makes the Ocean State so attractive? And how is it both a boon to the state's economy and another obstacle for local buyers? Rhode Island FC's new home, Centreville Bank Stadium, is not just a state-of-the-art soccer venue. It's also designed to host rugby matches and other sporting events for collegiate and high school teams as well as concerts. Journal sportswriter Jacob Rousseau looks at coming attractions at the new riverfront stadium in Pawtucket. For that, and the latest and sports news, go to . Food editor Gail Ciampa gives an update on the Rhode Island dining scene, including new restaurants, returning old favorites and expansions. Here are the week's top reads on Will "The Real Housewives of Rhode Island" encourage the rest of the country to come visit our beaches and try our restaurants? Or will the show – not exactly known for showcasing decorum, taste and restraint – become a source of embarrassment for the Ocean State? That depends on whom you ask, with the state's top leaders, including the governor, House speaker and Senate president, applauding the news while some critics on social media are predicting a "rude awakening for the tourism bureau." Read on to see what tourism officials and the state's Film and Television Office are saying about how the show could affect Rhode Island's image and its economy. Reality TV: 'The Real Housewives' franchise is coming to RI. But not everyone is real thrilled. Beachgoers will find their favorite sandy spots a little more cramped when they visit Roger W. Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett this summer. The beach is undergoing a makeover as construction crews replace and expand the boardwalk and build a bulkhead. By the time work is done, the new boardwalk will have doubled in size to nearly 1,200 feet in length and be accessible for people with disabilities. New stairs, sidewalks, shade structures, a foot-washing station and concrete benches will also be installed, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. The work, however, will bring some disruptions to beachgoers. Read on to see what's changing. Local news: Roger Wheeler State Beach is a go-to for families. Why it won't be as friendly this summer There are many places you can go on the political conference and junket circuit each year. Taiwan. Portugal. Israel. San Juan. Deadwood. You can even go to Rhode Island, which often hosts big national groups like the lieutenant governors who descended on Providence this spring. Add in the perennial fundraising banquets, or a presidential campaign, and the opportunities for time on the road are almost limitless. Political Scene takes a look at which politician logged the most miles in 2024, compared with the previous year's most frequent flyer, and explores where the governor and other state officers went – and who picked up the tab. Political Scene: From Tel Aviv to Taiwan, these RI politicians traveled the most last year When columnist Mark Patinkin first heard about Alex Shieh, a sophomore at Brown University, he thought Shieh was just having fun copying an Elon Musk ploy – he sent out emails to the school's 3,805 non-faculty employees asking what they do every day. But after meeting with Shieh, Patinkin believes the action was motivated by a genuine desire to cut waste at Brown and thereby address a core challenge of American life: the high cost of college tuition, especially at elite schools. Shieh is facing disciplinary action at Brown, which alleges he used nonpublic university data and data systems. In the process, Shieh has become something of a national hero in conservative circles, even drawing comment from Musk himself on X. Read on to find out more about Shieh and the repercussions of his DOGE-like campaign to reduce university "bloat." Mark Patinkin: Alex Shieh wants to make Brown affordable. Mark Patinkin learns why he's being vilified Olivia Culpo is known for her taste, particularly in restaurants. The reality star's family has opened five restaurants in the state – The Back 40, Union + Main, Lake Taco, Evie's and Black Oak Kitchen & Drink – since 2017 that she has a hand in. And she's always made it known on social media that she loves Rhode Island food. She recently had her baby shower at the famous Castle Hill Inn, known for its drinks on the lawn and fine dining. But that's not the only restaurant she loves in the state. In 2024 on Instagram, she did an Ask Me Anything where she shared 13 restaurants to try. Here's a look at her list. Dining: Olivia Culpo shared a list of 13 restaurants she loves in Rhode Island. Check it out. To read the full stories, go to Find out how to subscribe here. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'Real Housewives of RI' worries; Culpo's favorite RI restaurants
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rhode Island FC's home opener has arrived in Pawtucket; Here's what to expect from the club
PAWTUCKET — The spotlight is on Rhode Island FC. The inaugural game at Centreville Bank Stadium is Saturday, May 3. After financing delays, pandemic-related challenges, and a host of kinks to iron out, the club's home opener at its new stadium comes a year after its first season in the USL Championship. Advertisement The stadium's field lighting flipped on for the first time on April 24. RIFC hosted an open house just a couple of days later as the finishing touches were completed on the 10,500-seat, multi-purpose venue. RIFC played its first seven games of the season on the road and they are 1-3-1 in USL play this season. Saturday's matchup against San Antonio FC starts at 4 p.m. and can be watched on myRITV. Rhode Island has competed well against the top teams of the Eastern Conference, despite losses at Loudoun United FC (6-1) and Detroit City FC (4-1-1). Last year's run to the USL Championship was a great start, but they'll need to prove themselves again this season. 'It's been challenging with six weekends in a row just on the road traveling,' RIFC coach Khano Smith said. 'It's just a lot and it's challenging, but we're not going to complain. To get [the stadium], you had to give up something. We had to suffer for six weeks, we had to do it, but now we're at the end of it.' RIFC forward Noah Fuson warms up with the ball during a team practice at the club's new Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket on March 6. Here's what to know about RIFC's home opener on Saturday: Looking at the opener Rhode Island could do itself a favor and win on Saturday. The last thing the club wants to see is a tie in its first game, or worse, allow San Antonio to play spoiler and be the first winners at Centreville Bank Stadium. Advertisement San Antonio currently sits atop the Western Conference standings and already beat the defending champion Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. 'We've been here before,' Smith said of the season's start. 'We talked to them and this time last year we hadn't won a game. We're better off than we were last year, but you don't need to be in the locker room to see it.' Work crews were still putting together the grandstands that sit alongside the river during media availability last Friday. The press box was shining after one last cleaning on the outside glass and the scoreboard was going through mock introductions. There will still be quirks to work through on Saturday, which are expected with a new stadium. But the home opener should be celebrated. Advertisement 'Fundamentally, we're all the same team,' RIFC's Clay Holstad said. 'We still try to harp on the same principles of pressing [the tempo]. [Smith] still harps on the same stuff, the same stats, repressing and pressures. Intensity is what defines us.' RIFC and its various Cup matches Ultimately what matters for Rhode Island FC is its success in the USL. Wins in the U.S. Open Cup and Jägermeister Cup are gravy, but one match in the Open Cup does provide intrigue. Rhode Island welcomes the New England Revolution to Pawtucket on Wednesday, May 7, for its Round of 32 match. Smith had two playing stints with the Revs — from 2005-08 and again in 2010. It's Rhode Island's first chance to test itself against an MLS club. Advertisement 'It's the best thing that could happen for the club,' Smith said of playing the Revolution. 'Obviously having them be the second game in the stadium, you just couldn't ask for a better opportunity. They have fans and we have fans in proximity. I'm expecting another really good attended match. 'You want to play an MLS team, but I don't think it would have carried the same effect if it was Red Bull or New York City. It's really nice to be able to get them and we're all competitors. [Rhode Island] wants to test themselves against teams at the highest level.' RIFC players take to the field at Centreville Bank Stadium during a team practice on March 6. Rhode Island won't be favored in the match. But a win against the Revs could catapult RIFC into its summer USL slate. Advertisement 'We want to win the Jägermeister Cup, we want to win the Open Cup and we want to win the USL championship,' Smith said. 'That's why we get out of bed. We don't go into competitions thinking we are going to change or you don't want to win.' Expectations of game nights Rhode Island FC is not the Pawtucket Red Sox. That comparison between the two teams will be constant, but it shouldn't be. If there's anything that RIFC can learn from the PawSox, though, is the family feel and date-night atmosphere that the ball club created. Baseball lends itself to that environment more than soccer, but it can be replicated. If RIFC can interact with its fans in a unique way, that will help its growth. Advertisement Rhode Island FC is here, and the true beginning of the club starts on Saturday in Pawtucket. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: What to expect from RIFC in Year 1 at Centreville Bank Stadium
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
From Sightlines To ‘Sailgating,' Inside Rhode Island FC's New Stadium
PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND - MAY 7: General view of Rhode Island FC stadium before a 2025 U.S. Open Cup ... More game at Centreville Bank Stadium. (Photo by Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) 'There's something about the dynamic of being on water,' says Rhode Island FC chairman Brett M. Johnson. He's talking about a picture he saw of the USL Championship team's new Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, which held its first matches earlier this month. The 10,000 seat soccer-specific venue sits alongside the same Seekonk River that Johnson once rowed on as a student at Brown University. 'It wasn't pretty, honestly,' says Johnson, describing the polluted river of his student days. Pawtucket has cleaned up its industrial riverside in recent years though, turning once neglected brownfield sites into prime real estate. And the Centreville Bank Stadium is a central part of that. Rhode Island FC isn't the first team Johnson has invested in. He was a founder of Phoenix Rising, and also helped lead the acquisition of Ipswich Town back when it was in the third tier of English soccer. Seeing the impact that Ipswich's on-field success has had on the local area, he hopes to achieve something similar in Pawtucket and give the country's smallest state something to cheer about. Rhode Island FC's first cheer at the Centreville Bank Stadium came when Maxi Rodriguez scored in an Open Cup match against its Massachusetts neighbor New England Revolution. The Revs, who eventually won this local derby 2-1, plays its home games in Foxborough, which is actually closer to Pawtucket than it is to Boston. But Johnson feels Rhode Island FC's home ground gives it something that its local rivals lack. He says, 'nothing detracts more from the beautiful game than playing in an NFL stadium' and says it's a great source of pride that Rhode Island is home to New England's first soccer-specific stadium. He says Revolution's fans deserve their own soccer-specific stadium too. Getting that rectangular home was not easy though. For its inaugural season in 2024, Rhode Island FC played far out of town at the home of Bryant University's Bulldogs. It was also offered the 'Pawsox' baseball stadium when the minor league team moved out of the state, but that stadium's location was not easy to get to and the stadium itself was run-down and tired, not to mention being the wrong shape for soccer, so instead, RIFC chose to build its own stadium on a challenging brownfield site. PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND - MAY 7: Rhode Island FC and New England Revolution walk out during a 2025 ... More U.S. Open Cup game at Centreville Bank Stadium. (Photo by Mark Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) The site had previously been used for a manufactured gas plant so the ground was full of toxic chemicals and had to be capped, meaning that all the utilities and foundations had to be designed above that cap. Rhode Island FC co-founder Dan Kroeber says that the site's history made the build very complicated as they had to make sure they didn't dig below that cap. He says the stadium has been designed with sustainability in mind. It is an all-electric stadium and no plastic is used in its concessions stands, and it's also within walking distance of a new bus and train station. It has been built in a way that allows it to be easily expanded in the future and also be used for other sports such as rugby. Johnson says the stadium, which will eventually be accompanied by a residential and commercial development, will be the catalyst for additional investment into downtown Pawtucket, and that by having a soccer-specific stadium makes all the difference to fan experience as the stadium doesn't have a single bad sightline. He says playing in big NFL stadiums nearly killed Major League Soccer, and that the league's fortunes started to turn when teams like Columbus Crew built soccer-specific stadiums. But the Centreville Bank Stadium has one more trick up its sleeve. Its prime riverside location means fans will soon be able to arrive to games from Newport or Providence by boat, in something Johnson has dubbed 'sailgating.' It's sure to be a big hit.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
RIFC falls to Revolution in U.S. Open Cup Round of 32
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Cristiano Oliveira scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute to lead the New England Revolution over Rhode Island FC in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday night. Maxi Rodriguez scored for Rhode Island. Tomás Chancalay scored the first goal of the night, which was the first goal ever scored in Centreville Bank Stadium. Rhode Island stays home to host Monterey Bay at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 10. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 12 Sports this Week Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
