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Providence, RI The Providence Metropolitan area is a vibrant, rapidly developing and historic city. Due to it being in the doldrums for so long, it was spared the urban renewal bulldozers that ravaged so many other communities. Much of the historical infrastructure has survived and not in a renovated state. This makes the city one of the most beautiful in the region. There are many good sightseeing destinations in downtown Providence, from entertainment centers to museums and shopping districts. The Rhode Island Stingrays play at Pierce Memorial Stadium in East Providence, just across the river from downtown and adjacent to the Metacomet country club. The Providence region has an impressive soccer history during the first half of the twentieth century. Pawtucket is at the northwestern end of the "Golden Crescent" (Pawtucket, Fall River, New Bedford) which boasted some of the most successful amateur and professional soccer teams of the 20th century. Clubs from this region won numerous US Open Cup, American Cup, and National Amateur Cup titles, and the Providence Gold Bugs and Pawtucket Rangers were consistently good performers in the original American Soccer League of the 1920s, with the Rangers going on to win several New England Titles in the 2nd ASL of the 1930s. The Pawtucket Free Wanderers won the American Cup in 1893, followed by the Pawtucket Olympians in 1894, and Howard & Bullough in 1911. The Providence Gold Bugs won the final American Cup title in 1929. Howard & Bullough was the first club to gain prominence, playing in the EPSC from 1909-1910 and the Southern New England League from 1914-1918, winning the league title in 1914. J & P Coates graced the field from 1914 through the early 1940s, first in the Southern New England League and later with the original ASL from 1921-1928 before becoming the Pawtucket Rangers, and moving to the 2nd ASL. The Providence Clamdiggers (later Goldbugs) played from 1920-1930 in the original ASL, usually near the top of the league standings. For much of the season, the region's most prominent soccer clubs toiled away in the amateur leagues, occasionally making waves in the national tournaments. During the late 1940s and early 50s, Ponta Delgada, in nearby Tiverton, achieved some prominence in the U.S. Open Cup and the National Amateur Cup, winning some titles, and sending players onto the US National Team. e rest of the region's soccer history was primarily in the amateur ranks, although the ASL returned to Providence briefly in the mid 1970s with the Rhode Island Oceaneers. Professional soccer finally returned to the region in 1995 with the USL's Rhode Island Stingrays and the W-League's Rhode Island Rays. The Rays struggled through eight losing seasons, finally folding at the end of the 2002 season. Rhode Island Stingrays (PDL) The Rhode Island Stingrays were both launched by the USL in 1995 and immediately became an integral part of the regional soccer scene. The Stingrays toiled away in the D3 Pro League until 2002 when they were relegated to the PDL after a number of frustrating, losing seasons. Their best performance came in 1996 when they went 10-6 and reached the conference semifinals. The Stingrays are looking for improvement in 2003. The club also run the Northern Lightning Stingrays Youth Academy and a Y-League team for U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-17 boys and U-14 girls. Pierce Memorial Stadium Capacity: 8,000 Stingrays: Blue, White, Yellow Honors: (None) Directions: Tickets: Adults $6.00; seniors and children under 14 $4.00. All games start 7:00 PM except for Sundays (2:00PM) Refreshers: Basic food - burgers, hot dogs, candy, popcorn, soda, all reasonably priced. Club Merchandise: Posters, replica jerseys, caps, logo shirts Media Coverage: In Print: Providence Journal: http://www.projo.com/soccer On the Air: WSKO www.z100providence.com On the Web: http://www.stingraysoccer.com Around Town Bars & Pubs Watchemoket Bar Restaurants Madeira Restaurant Lobster House Restaurant & Lounge Hotels & Accommodations |