(Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment in a weekly series spotlighting Rhode Island FC and Centreville Bank Stadium from a business perspective throughout the 2025 United Soccer League Championship season. To read past stories in this series, click here.) PAWTUCKET – Red, white and blue pride was voluminous June 28 along the Seekonk River,
Already a Subscriber? Log in
To Continue Reading This Article
Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.Learn More and Become a Subscriber
- Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
- 1 year of print (26 issues).
- Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
- Free email alerts.
- Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
- All special issues produced during subscription term.
Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article
PBN Branded Content
Let’s Save Big with Rhode Island Energy Efficiency Programs
Nestled alongside the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, RI, in a historic National Heritage Corridor that…
Learn More
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS FANS celebrate loudly on June 28 at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket after the team won its third consecutive Major League Rugby championship. / PBN PHOTO / JAMES BESSETTE[/caption]
Free Jacks merchandise has also been flying off the shelves, as well, both locally and abroad. Magleby said the club, which on a given match can represent between 10 and 14 countries and with rugby having a “long history in New England,” has sold its red, white and blue merchandise in 27 different countries.
“The more we play, the more we sell of everything,” Magleby said. “For us, winning is not even one of our [key performance indicators]. Putting a product on the field we’re all proud of is our KPI. How are we measuring ourselves. If we take care of that, the winning will take care of itself.
“Our model is street to street, school to school, block by block and neighborhood to neighborhood. We’re shelling out Quincy and going out from there. We’re getting people from all over New England to come to our games.”
Being heavily involved in the community, including supporting local sports organizations, nonprofits and hosting clinics, also boosted the Free Jacks’ appeal, Magleby said. The club back in 2024 held a youth rugby clinic and regional training groups at Roger Williams University in Bristol. The clinic at that time was designed to support youth rugby players and learn the skills of the game directly from Free Jack players.
“The best teams have been built that way. They’ve been ingrained in helping the community be better,” Magleby said.
Looking to grow the game of rugby in new markets was also a motivating factor for Major League Rugby to select Centreville Bank Stadium for this year’s championship game, league Commissioner Nic Benson told PBN. Like Magleby, Benson also feels the Free Jacks being in June 28’s title game can develop a new fanbase 45 miles south of their primary home.
“It’s close enough to draw and it should be enough of a geographic expansion for them. We’re hoping they’ll benefit from this,” Benson said.
Although the league didn’t choose Centreville Bank Stadium with the Free Jacks possibly making the title game there in mind, having a “home team” play in a neutral-site final didn’t hurt, Benson and stadium General Manager Paul Byrne both said. The June 28 title game drew 5,702 fans across the venue’s lower bowl – the third-highest title-game attendance for the league since it went to the neutral-site model in 2023.
[caption id="attachment_499173" align="alignright" width="412"]
PAULA BALEKANA, center, scores the first of his two tries for the New England Free Jacks in their win over the Houston SaberCats on June 28 at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket. / PBN PHOTO / JAMES BESSETTE[/caption]
“I'm thrilled with our crowd and, more than that, I'm inspired by the energy that was apparent on match day. Both are great signs for rugby in the U.S.,” Major League Rugby Chief Revenue Officer Lucas Reid told PBN via email on Wednesday. “Centreville Bank Stadium was a great venue from an access and hospitality perspective, during the match it was incredibly loud, and our fans had a memorable experience, which is the level of entertainment we're looking to provide every week across our league.”
Byrne told PBN roping off the stadium’s upper level for the game was purposely done to maximize attendance in that 100-level seating, plus it would provide better visuals on the ESPN2 national televised broadcast.
Byrne did not disclose specifics on how the deal for Centreville Bank Stadium to host the rugby championship was structured in terms of revenue split. He did say the stadium had a “record” sales day for alcohol on June 28.
Benson said the league previously played the title match in the highest-seeded team’s home stadium. He said high attendance was difficult for the league to obtain because no one knew until a week or two before the title match who was playing in the game – and where the game would be. According to league data, Major League Rugby Championship attendance in that old model from 2018 through 2022 ranged from 1,979 fans to 7,389.
Now, with the neutral-site model in place, and the league having more time to promote those sites – Centreville Bank Stadium included – attendances in Chicago, San Diego and, now, Pawtucket spiked upward to as high as 12,000 people.
Stadium officials told PBN daily ticket sales leading up to June 28 were as high as 1,000 after the Free Jacks defeated the Chicago Hounds in the league’s conference final. Benson also confirmed the league saw “a big jump” in title game ticket sales on June 22, likely driven by the now three-time league champions participating.
“There’s a lot of people buying tickets who have never been to a rugby match before because they’re part of Rhode Island FC’s core fanbase,” Benson said. “Across the league, [the Free Jacks are] one of the teams that has one of the stronger fanbases. They’ve always traveled well historically for all games. Having them in the final last year I’m sure helped [boost those ticket sales].”
[caption id="attachment_499174" align="alignleft" width="405"]
RUGBY AND STADIUM OFFICIALS have opened the door for Centreville Bank Stadium to host more rugby matches in the future. / PBN PHOTO / JAMES BESSETTE[/caption]
Byrne agreed that the Free Jacks helped boost attendance on June 28, especially given the challenges that are posed in bringing in casual fans to a championship game of a sport they may not be fully familiar with.
Centreville Bank Stadium hosting rugby again in the future is certainly a possibility, officials say. Benson complimented Rhode Island FC and stadium personnel and said selecting a venue for the title game is about “finding communities that are excited to have us here.
Magleby said he’s open to having the Free Jacks be back in Pawtucket for a match, noting the club is interested in “helping anything that makes [rugby and the club] grow in a healthy way.”
Reid also factored in that more than 2,000 fans attended the league’s Fan Festival held at the Isle Brewers Guild LLC on June 27-28, showing there is a “passion for rugby in the Northeast.” Byrne said Major League Rugby is growing and “would love one day” to have “another home team in some form” play at Centreville Bank Stadium.