EDITORIAL: Bring the New England Revolution to Providence - We Know the Perfect Spot

Providence is a city in need of a big idea. It needs an innovative initiative that plays on all of the city’s strengths, builds the economy and aligns Providence’s diversity.

The solution for Providence is to create a new energy for the Capital City -- and the perfect opportunity is to relocate the New England Revolution professional soccer team right in the middle of downtown Providence.

The ideal location would be at Burnside Park and Kennedy Plaza, two of the most underutilized and often renovated spaces in the City of Providence. The space would require engineering and superior architecture, but Fulton to Sabin Street is vast enough -- and wide enough -- for such a vision and the land is already cleared and publicly owned.

View Larger +

A soccer stadium is not a football stadium - its seating capacity is one-quarter to one-third the size. The footprint of the two Burnside and Kennedy plaza areas is tight, but other cities have been increasingly creative in building innovative enhancements into tight urban areas. Providence did it with the initially much criticized Providence Place Mall located over railroad tracks, a river and abutting a highway.

A New England Revolution stadium would be the perfect enhancement to the Convention Center, Providence Place, The Dunk, WaterPlace, hotels, apartments and a few hundred yards from Amtrak and the MBTA -- and make for another reason for companies to come to Providence as a first-tier city. For the full-season of 2013, the New England Revolution drew an average of 14,861 attendees, despite playing in a football stadium in Foxboro.

The Stadium would be a mecca for not only soccer, but also outdoor concerts and in the winter transformed into the ultimate skating rink.

View Larger +

The City of Portland, Oregon has a city stadium that hosts their men's and women’s professional soccer team. Their rehabbed 1920’s former football field and former minor league ballpark is located right in a neighborhood. The facility was rehabbed for soccer usage and the impact to the economy has been dramatic. According to economic development reports, the impact to the economy in Portland is more than $30 million per year. This year the Portland market became the center of the soccer world when the MLS held their annual All-Star game in Portland and the US-based All Stars upset the top German Club Bayern Munich.

The Portland Timbers franchise sells out all of its games (100.4% attendance) and averaged for the season 20,806 attendees per game.

Providence Over Boston

Presently, the Kraft family, who owns both the New England Revolution and the Patriots, is in some level of discussion for a facility outside the city of Boston for a soccer only-venue. The location proposed is out on I-93 near the MBTA storage area walkable for no one and with no existing community - no restaurants, shops or bars. The location is a no mans land.

For the soccer fan, the ability to go to dinner on Federal Hill and walk down to see the Revolution play a friendly against A.S. Roma would be a superior experience. For East Siders and West Siders, they could just walk downtown and see the Revolution host the New York Red Bulls on a Saturday afternoon.

In Boston, the Revolution are a sports afterthought. The team will always be a distant cousin to the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, BC Football, college hockey and dozens of other sports. It has little fan base and non-existent television ratings.

For Providence, the New England Revolution would be the only top-level pro team in Rhode Island. Instead of us being home to the minor league teams, we would be home to a major league franchise. Media markets smaller than Providence hosts pro sports teams. Providence is the #44 ranked media market - New Orleans #47, Oklahoma City #48, Jacksonville #50, and Buffalo #57 are all hosts to top pro teams.

More Than Just Soccer

The soccer venue could be so much more. Providence could capture outdoor concerts from Mansfield’s concert venue, other sports teams could train and play on the turf field, and in the winter the ice skating rink could be located in the stadium with high school and college hockey teams playing annual winter classics. The Mount Saint Charles versus Hendricken State Hockey finals would be epic before thousands under the stars.

View Larger +

Mayor-Elect Jorge Elorza’s vision of One Providence may be a slogan and amorphous, but the realization of a top-level professional soccer team located in the center of the city could be a common experience for 1st generation residents from Central America to East Siders to old school Elmhurst residents of Italian-American descent that are all passionate about soccer.

One Providence is a big idea. Providence being the home to the New England Revolution could be the big step needed to take Providence from stagnation to economic success and national resurgence.

Related Slideshow: Rhode Island’s Best Communities 2014: #39 to #1

Related Articles

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.