(Editor’s note: This is the 15th 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 – In many ways, Darius Shirzadi understands the connection between a soccer club and the community it plays in.
Long before Rhode Island FC planted its roots in the Ocean State, Shirzadi, currently the co-founder and executive director of Central Falls-based soccer support nonprofit Project GOAL, in a past life ran another local United Soccer League club – the Rhode Island Stingrays. Even though the physical investment into the Stingrays pales in comparison to what Rhode Island FC has put in to build the club and its new home, Shirzadi says professional sports being a community asset beyond wins and losses on the pitch is critical to overall community building – connecting with nonprofits in particular.
“It’s great to have it in the community for our kids who are very into soccer and to have it so local is a big deal,” Shirzadi told Providence Business News.
Along with trying to secure wins on the field, Rhode Island FC has been extremely entrenched within the community, getting involved with local nonprofits to help those in need and improve the lives of others, including young people. In turn, nonprofits are trying to leverage their partnerships with the local soccer club to help broaden their community work and appeal.
Rhode Island FC President David Peart said the club averages about 30 community visits per month. Those activities include players going out to a youth soccer clinic, performing clinics, going into schools for assemblies, or going to a festival/fair in a particular community.
In late June, Rhode Island FC’s mascot, Chip, visited Project GOAL’s Mundialito Kid’s Tournament in Central Falls back on June 28. The event was held in partnership with Mundialito, a Central Falls-based organization that provides independent programming, including local tournaments and scholarships for Rhode Island-based athletes. The mascot also recently took part in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pawtucket’s baseball opening day in the city.
Also, Rhode Island FC through the VA and Veterans of Foreign Wars recently donated more than 1,000 tickets to veterans groups and their families to attend upcoming games, Peart said. Plus, sales of a signature Isle Brewers Guild LLC “Pride” beer during Rhode Island FC’s “Pride Night” on June 27 helped support AIDS Care Ocean State.
“One of the opportunities for us is to bring a little bit of excitement as part of our participation with these programs. At the same time, provide some degree of spotlight as to what they’re all about,” Peart said. “Maybe bring attention to the particular organizations that might be a little off the radar.”
This summer, Rhode Island FC in partnership with the Community Libraries of Providence and the Providence Children’s Museum launched its “TerRIFC Kids Read & Play Initiative,” a program that blends sports and education. The program encourages local children to both read books and also visit the children’s museum often while school is out.
If local children read enough and visit the museum at least five times will have a chance to earn free admission into Rhode Island FC’s Sept. 6 “Kids Game” at Centreville Bank Stadium and honored during the match.
While she couldn’t put an exact number as to how many children have visited the libraries to date since the partnership launched, Community Libraries Executive Director Cheryl Space told Providence Business News the organization’s goal is to reach new families who may not be familiar with what the libraries offer. Space did say that one librarian informed her earlier this summer that five new middle school children visited one library soon after Chip made an appearance at a local Providence school.
“For youth, encountering professional athletes who encourage reading can be powerfully motivating - and, by welcoming the RIFC athletes into our libraries, curious people of all ages get to ask questions and learn more about what it's like to play soccer professionally,” Space said.
Children’s Museum Executive Director Caroline Payson told PBN the partnership with Rhode Island FC helps reinforce the museum’s existence and that it is there to offer families fun activities. Plus, the partnership she says hopes to further boost the museum’s attendance numbers, which she says have been the highest they’ve been since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The club itself plans to increase its community support beyond appearances. Peart says Rhode Island FC will soon launch a foundation aimed to raise money to benefit local organizations, however logistics and a launch date are still to be determined.
Shirzadi says he’d love to see Rhode Island FC partner with Project GOAL on a workforce “feeder system,” where children within the organization can do volunteer work or internships with the club during high school or college. It would be a way for children under Project GOAL’s umbrella to think about careers that are not necessarily about playing soccer professionally, he says.
“You can be someone in operations, a referee, marketing, sales, food delivery or hospitality,” Shirzadi said. “Or just to shadow someone during a game day just to see what that is like and open up their eyes to other opportunities for careers. It’s a good road map for our kids to see that.”
- Current team record (wins-losses-draws): 5-9-6, 21 points; 8th place of 12 in USL Championship Eastern Conference
- Result of previous match: Rhode Island FC 1, Birmingham Legion FC 0 (from Wednesday; USL Jagermeister Cup quarterfinal)
- Next match: Aug. 23, at Hartford Athletic, 7 p.m.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
