With the backing of the Dworkins, Washo has focused on improving the fan experience at the team’s games this season. The club has focused on local and regional flavors, both for refreshments and entertainment, to resonate with Rochester residents.

“We’re doing a lot to have live music and bands for the pregame, every game,” Washo said. “We’ve been bringing in a DJ so that there’s an atmosphere everywhere. We’ve had local performers, and we’re also in the process of trying to attract some festivals from the local ethnic communities. I think all of those things are adding to the fan experience.”

When it comes to food, it’s Rochester-oriented.

“What we’ve done so far is three things, the first of which is we brought back two of the fan favorites for our stadium vendors,” Washo said. “Second is that we’ve been inviting a minimum of two or three food trucks to games. We’ve been rotating food trucks from within the Rochester market.

“We’ve also taken one of the food stands, and partnered with a local establishment where we’re offering different food based upon the opponent for that game. For example, when we play Charleston there will be a Carolina BBQ-themed sandwich.”

The team has even gone so far as to provide the fan base with the ability to increase their influence on the stadium by hosting a concession stand naming contest.

The Rhinos also devoted a sizeable portion of their budget to upgrading the stadium’s turf field, as well as updating the video board. Both decisions should help Rochester continue to modernize game days and also boost revenue opportunities for the team itself as it looks to restore the Rhinos to their glory days, when the club not only won three USL championships, but also the 1999 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

“[The new field] gives us full year-round capability for play for both the first team and our youth programs,” said Washo. “It allows us to have lacrosse, Friday-night-lights football games and other flexibility for events that won’t affect the quality of the turf, unlike grass. It’s FIFA-rated turf, the latest FieldTurf, which allows us to attract the U.S. National Team squads.

“The video board was pre-existing, but it was damaged. It was missing pixels. To keep it in that state would have been a continued nuisance to the fan experience. You can remove it, but upgrading it was the decision we made for the fans’ benefit. It is helping us, additionally, be able to run commercials and PSAs for our advertising and community partners. We’re even talking with movie marketing companies about running two-minute film trailers for our fans.”

With a number of the upgrades to the stadium, such as the installation of the new turf field and video board, having been completed, the Dworkins are pleased with the progress the club has made to make Rhinos Stadium a welcoming place for home fans. That said, they might be even more excited about what is to come, with new features expected to be rolled out over the summer as the club looks to rebuild its support across the local community.

“While we have been very pleased so far, we are even more excited for the things to come as the season progresses,” Dworkin said. “We are also excited to see the crowds continue to build as the local weather improves, kids get out of school for the summer, and youth soccer gets in full swing here in Rochester.”

With the team currently on a 22-game undefeated streak in the USL at Rhinos Stadium as it welcomes Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday night, Washo’s vision for an atmosphere that will match the club’s performance on the field is moving steadily toward fruition.