Rhode Island’s professional soccer team will begin hiring in 2023 and create 30+ jobs next year

PAWTUCKET, RI - Rhode Island FC signed a lease for the club’s headquarters and front office earlier this week. The club will be headquartered at 175 Main Street in the heart of Pawtucket and plans to begin hiring staff early next year. By the end of 2023, the club expects to create more than 30 full-time jobs.

“We are committed to building a winning club in the heart of Pawtucket, and that starts by establishing a headquarters for our team,” said Rhode Island FC President Brett Luy. “The support from Rhode Islanders across the state for our team continues to be overwhelming, and we are well positioned to begin building the organization. We’ll start hiring early next year and look forward to creating 30+ new jobs in Pawtucket over the next 12 months as we prepare for our inaugural USL season."

The club will build out the space to create a modern, professional office setting for the team’s front office, including the sales, marketing, community engagement, and sporting departments that are currently being built. Additionally, the club will have team merchandise for sale at the headquarters later in 2023.

“Rhode Island FC will be a pillar for our community and I’m thrilled for the team to be setting up its headquarters in the heart of Pawtucket,” said Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien. “Pawtucket residents will again have a professional team in town, and as importantly, our city will reap the benefits of the jobs the club creates. Having the team headquartered on Main Street will build civic pride and add to the vibrancy of the downtown district.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Rhode Island FC to the neighborhood,” said James Alden, Executive Vice President of Pet Food Experts, one of the largest private employers in downtown Pawtucket. Pet Food Experts owns 175 Main Street. “Their new stadium and the club’s presence in Pawtucket will provide a much needed spark for Pawtucket’s economic development.”

Rhode Island FC will compete in USL Championship beginning in the 2024 season. The club will host its matches in a state-of-the-art soccer stadium currently under construction along the Pawtucket waterfront. The club unveiled its team name and crest last month and broke all known USL records for initial season ticket deposit collections in the first week that deposits were open.

About Rhode Island FC

Rhode Island FC is independently owned and operated and is the only homegrown men’s professional team in the state. It is led under co-founders Brett Johnson and former MLS and USMNT player Michael Parkhurst, a Rhode Island native. The club will begin play in 2024 in a soccer-specific stadium being built on the Pawtucket waterfront, which will serve as a catalyst for redevelopment in the city. To learn more, visit rhodeislandfc.com.

###

MEDIA CONTACT (For Rhode Island FC)
Mike Raia, Half Street Strategic Consulting
mikeraia@halfstreetconsulting.com | 401.340.9425