Rhode Island stadium takes unique approach in targeting women’s sports events

May 26, 2026

One weekend this month, Centreville Bank Stadium in Rhode Island took center stage to make history with the Women’s Lacrosse League kicking off its first season of full-field play.

A week later, the soccer stadium on the banks of the Seekonk River welcomed Boston Legacy FC for the first in a seven-game stint in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The back-to-back women’s sports weekends represent an intentional strategy for the year-old venue, one that is creating space for women’s games and events while serving as home to the USL’s Rhode Island FC. Stadium management built it that way from the start, welcoming Women’s Elite Rugby in last May the day after the stadium opened.

“We’ve established ourselves as the place to be,” Paul Byrne, general manager of Centreville Bank Stadium, told me. “We still have some work to do, but we also established ourselves as a stadium that can host really big events.” SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL