Mark's Stadium

{{Short description|Soccer stadium in Rhode Island, USA}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox venue | name = Mark's Stadium | nickname = | former_names = Ponta Delgada Racing Stadium <ref name=rtour1/> | image = Marks stadium with crowd.jpg | image_size = 250 | caption = The stadium during a match | coordinates = {{Coord|41|40|14.16|N|71|10|48.22|W|scale:1563|display=inline,title}} | fullname = Mark's Stadium | location = North Tiverton, Rhode Island United States | opened = 1922 | renovated = | closed = 1950s | demolished = | type = Soccer-specific stadium | current_use = {{plainlist| * Soccer (1922–1950s) * Baseball * Midget car racing (1939, 1945–47, 1952–53) }} | owner = Sam Mark <ref name=rtour1>[https://rhodetour.org/items/show/103 Mark's Stadium] at rhodetour.org</ref> | operator = | construction_cost = | architect = | tenants = {{plainlist| * Lewis Cup final (1925) * U.S. Open Cup final (1925) * Fall River F.C. (1922–31)<ref name=rtour1/> * Fall River F.C. (1932) (1931-19?) * Ponta Delgada S.C. (?) }} | capacity = 15,000 | dimensions = }}

'''Mark's Stadium''' is a former soccer stadium located in North Tiverton, Rhode Island. During the 1920s and early 1930s it was the home of Fall River F.C., one of the era’s most successful soccer teams. It is one of the earliest examples of a soccer-specific stadium in the United States.<ref name=wangerin>''Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game'' by David Wangerin. Published by: Temple University Press (2006)</ref> The stadium also hosted the U.S. Open Cup final in 1925.<ref name=rsssf>[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesu/usacuphist.html USA - List of US Open Cup Finals] at the RSSSF.com</ref>

After the demise of the 'Marksmen', the stadium was used as a home ground by other local teams, most notably Fall River F.C. (1932) and Ponta Delgada S.C..

In 2009, the sports-related website ''Bleacher Report'' named the stadium "the 8th most important soccer site in the United States".<ref name=rtour1/>

==History== In 1922 Sam Mark won the bid over the Fall River United/Rover joint bid to head the American Soccer League's Fall River franchise. Mark was willing to invest in the club and one of his first moves was to build the team its own stadium. He located it in North Tiverton, Rhode Island, just over the Massachusetts border from Fall River<ref name=rtour1/>. This enabled the 'Marksmen' to circumvent the Massachusetts Blue Laws and play on a Sunday.<ref>"Soccer Schedule Meeting At New York Sunday". (September 9, 1922). ''The Evening Herald'', p.4 col.6</ref> Although used primarily for soccer, Mark’s also operated a semi-professional baseball team and the stadium’s design was decidedly baseball-friendly. This included an L-shaped stand which was placed behind one of the corner-flags.<ref name=wangerin/> The stadium also incorporated a small dirt track for auto racing up until the early 1950s which somewhat reduced the size of the soccer pitch.

The 1925 National Challenge Cup final and the first Lewis Cup final were both held at the stadium. Although a crowd of only 1,000 turned up to see Shawsheen Indians defeat Canadian Club of Chicago 3-0 in the Challenge Cup on April 19, a capacity crowd of 15,000 saw Boston Soccer Club defeat Fall River F.C. 2-1 in the Lewis Cup.<ref name=wangerin/><ref>"Boston Triumphs, 2-1, Before 17,000". (March 30, 1925). ''Boston Globe'', p.11 col.8</ref> In subsequent seasons the stadium regularly hosted prestige friendlies between the 'Marksmen' and visiting teams such as Rangers, an Italian League XI and Kilmarnock.<ref>[http://www.rangershistory.co.uk/various/tour1928.html Rangers tours] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230210245/http://www.rangershistory.co.uk/various/tour1928.html |date=2007-12-30 }}</ref><ref>"Scores Four Goals To Defeat Brescia". (August 27, 1928). ''Fall River Herald News'', p.13 col.1-2</ref><ref>"Fall River Shuts Out Kilmarnock F.C., 3-0". (June 16, 1930). ''Boston Globe'', p.8 col.7-8</ref>

In 1931, after Sam Mark relocated Fall River F.C. to New York and named them the New York Yankees, he made the stadium available to anybody willing to place a team there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/103652-the-most-historic-us-soccer-sites-whats-no-8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717182804/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/103652-the-most-historic-us-soccer-sites-whats-no-8|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 17, 2015|title=The Most Historic US Soccer Sites: What's No. 8?|website=bleacherreport.com|date=January 4, 2009|accessdate=August 30, 2017}}</ref> A group of Fall River businessmen, led by an ex-Marksmen player Harold Brittan, bought Providence Gold Bugs and moved them to Mark's Stadium where they played as Fall River F.C. During their brief stay the new tenants beat both Argentine team Vélez Sársfield and Scottish Celtic in prestige friendlies.<ref name=wangerin/><ref>"Glasgow Shut Out In Second Upset". (June 1, 1931). ''Boston Globe'', p.12 col.2-3</ref> In the 1940s and 1950s Ponta Delgada S.C. also played some home games at the stadium.<ref>"Soccer Snaps". (April 17, 1941). ''Boston Globe'', p.22 col.2</ref>

In 1939 Mark's Stadium hosted midget car racing on a 1.5 mile track built around the pitch. The sport was suspended during World War II, returning from 1945 to 1947 and again during 1952–53.<ref name=rtour1/>

In the 1950s, the stadium was torn down, and was replaced by a drive-in movie theater, as well as a large restaurant and banquet hall in the former parking area run by the Ponta Delgada Club.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.providencejournal.com/features/lifestyle/content/20131103-a-view-from-tiverton-in-a-forgotten-field-soccer-took-root.ece|title=A View from Tiverton: In a forgotten field, soccer took root|website=providencejournal.com|date=November 3, 2013|accessdate=August 30, 2017}}</ref> The theater was closed for a time in the 1970s, and by the early 1980s it was closed for good. The screen was torn down in the decades to follow, and the site of the stadium itself is now a large empty lot<ref name=rtour1/> behind the former Ponta Delgada Restaurant, which is now partially closed itself.

==Notable games== {{football box |date = April 19, 1925 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Shawsheen Indians |score = 3–0 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|United States}} Chicago Canadian Club |goals1 = Eddie Smith Alex Carrie Peter Purden |goals2 = |stadium = 1925 National Challenge Cup |attendance = 1,000 |referee = }} ---- {{football box |date = March 29, 1925 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Fall River F.C. |score = 1–2 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|United States}} Boston Soccer Club |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = Lewis Cup final |attendance = 15,000 |referee = }} ---- {{football box |date = June 3, 1928 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Fall River F.C. |score = 0–0 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|Scotland}} Rangers F.C. |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = Friendly |attendance = 15,000 |referee = }} ---- {{football box |date = August 26, 1928 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Fall River F.C. |score = 4–2 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|Italy}} Italian League XI |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = Friendly |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{football box |date = June 15, 1930 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Fall River F.C. |score = 3–0 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|Scotland}} Kilmarnock |goals1 = Archie Stark Alex McNab Bob McAuley |goals2 = |stadium = Friendly |attendance = 5,000 |referee = }} ---- {{football box |date = February 22, 1931 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Fall River F.C. |score = 5–2 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|Argentina}} Vélez Sársfield |goals1 = |goals2 = |stadium = Friendly |attendance = |referee = }} ---- {{football box |date = May 31, 1931 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Fall River F.C. |score = 1–0 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|Scotland}} Celtic |goals1 = Billy Watson |goals2 = |stadium = Friendly |attendance = 5,000 |referee = }} ---- {{football box |date = July 7, 1946 |team1 = {{flagicon|United States}} Ponta Delgada S.C. |score = 1–0 |report= (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|United States}} Chicago Vikings |goals1 = Ed Souza or John Souza ? |goals2 = McDermott |stadium = National Challenge Cup final |attendance = 6,000 |referee = }}

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Fall River F.C. (1922–1931) Category:Ponta Delgada S.C. Category:Defunct soccer venues in the United States Category:Baseball venues in Rhode Island Category:Soccer venues in Rhode Island Category:Sports venues completed in 1922 Category:Buildings and structures in Tiverton, Rhode Island Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Rhode Island