Mark's Stadium
 | |
| Full name | Mark's Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | North Tiverton, Rhode Island United States |
| Coordinates | 41°40′14.16″N 71°10′48.22″W / 41.6706000°N 71.1800611°W |
| Owner | Sam Mark |
| Capacity | 15,000 |
| Opened | 1922 |
| Closed | 1950s |
| Tenants | |
| Fall River F.C. (1922-1931) Fall River F.C. (1932) (1931-19xx) Ponta Delgada S.C. (19xx-19xx) | |
Mark's Stadium is a former
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.[1] 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.
History
In 1922
Blue Laws and play on a Sunday.[2] 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.[1]
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
In 1931, after
Vélez Sérsfield and Celtic in prestige friendlies.[1][8] In the 1940s and 1950s Ponta Delgada S.C. also played some home games at the stadium.[9]
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.[10] 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 behind the former Ponta Delgada Restaurant, which is now partially closed itself.
Notable games
 Shawsheen Indians | 3–0 | Chicago Canadian Club |
|---|---|---|
| Eddie Smith Alex Carrie Peter Purden |
(Report) |
1925 National Challenge Cup
Attendance: 1,000
| Fall River F.C. | 1–2 | Boston Soccer Club |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Attendance: 15,000
| Fall River F.C. | 0–0 |  Rangers F.C. |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Friendly
Attendance: 15,000
Italian League XI | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Friendly
| Fall River F.C. | 3–0 | Kilmarnock |
|---|---|---|
| Archie Stark Alex McNab Bob McAuley |
(Report) |
Friendly
Attendance: 5,000
Vélez Sársfield | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Friendly
Fall River F.C. | 1–0 | Celtic |
|---|---|---|
| Billy Watson | (Report) |
Friendly
Attendance: 5,000
| Ponta Delgada S.C. | 1–0 | Chicago Vikings |
|---|---|---|
| Ed Souza or John Souza ? | (Report) | McDermott |
National Challenge Cup final
Attendance: 6,000
References
- ^ a b c d Soccer in a Football World - The Story of America’s Forgotten Game (2006) : David Wangerin [1]
- ^ "Soccer Schedule Meeting At New York Sunday". (September 9, 1922). The Evening Herald, p.4 col.6
- ^ "Boston Triumphs, 2-1, Before 17,000". (March 30, 1925). Boston Globe, p.11 col.8
- ^ Rangers tours Archived 2007-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Scores Four Goals To Defeat Brescia". (August 27, 1928). Fall River Herald News, p.13 col.1-2
- ^ "Fall River Shuts Out Kilmarnock F.C., 3-0". (June 16, 1930). Boston Globe, p.8 col.7-8
- ^ "The Most Historic US Soccer Sites: What's No. 8?". bleacherreport.com. January 4, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "Glasgow Shut Out In Second Upset". (June 1, 1931). Boston Globe, p.12 col.2-3
- ^ "Soccer Snaps". (April 17, 1941). Boston Globe, p.22 col.2
- ^ "A View from Tiverton: In a forgotten field, soccer took root". providencejournal.com. November 3, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2017.