Cranston Stadium
Encyclopedia
Cranston Stadium is a multi-use stadium located in Cranston, Rhode Island
. It consists of a baseball field
as well as an athletic field suitable for playing football
, soccer, field hockey
or lacrosse
.
, a minor league baseball league that was prominent from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, attempted a comeback as a semi-professional league. Cranston Stadium played host to the Cranston team from 1941–1945, and the team won the league championship in 1945. In 1946 the New England League regained its status as an affiliated minor league. The Providence Chiefs
played their home games at Cranston Stadium from 1946–1947 and then again as the Providence Grays
in 1948. The team returned for the 1949 season, but shut down halfway through the season. The '49 season would be the last for the New England League and was the last season of professional baseball played at the stadium.
In 1998 the New England Collegiate Baseball League
, a collegiate summer baseball league, needed a team to host the former Rhode Island Reds
who had been based in West Warwick, Rhode Island
. Cranston Stadium was chosen to host the Rhode Island Gulls
. However, the team lasted only three seasons in Cranston before moving to Newport, Rhode Island
and being re-named The Newport Gulls
.
and wooden bat tournaments. In 2007 the City of Cranston had field turf installed on the football portion of the stadium facility at a cost of $839,000. The city has been able to add field hockey and soccer to the stadium and reports show that the field is now making about $250,000 to $300,000 per year in rental fees.
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
. It consists of a baseball field
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
as well as an athletic field suitable for playing football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, soccer, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
or lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
.
History
The stadium has traditionally hosted area high school teams for a variety of sports. However, in 1941 the New England LeagueNew England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
, a minor league baseball league that was prominent from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, attempted a comeback as a semi-professional league. Cranston Stadium played host to the Cranston team from 1941–1945, and the team won the league championship in 1945. In 1946 the New England League regained its status as an affiliated minor league. The Providence Chiefs
Providence Chiefs
The Providence Chiefs, sometimes known as the Cranston Chiefs, were a Rhode Island-based minor-league baseball club in the class-B New England League. From 1946-47 the club was known as the Chiefs, and its team logo was a fire chief. In 1948 and 1949 the team was known as the Providence Grays...
played their home games at Cranston Stadium from 1946–1947 and then again as the Providence Grays
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
in 1948. The team returned for the 1949 season, but shut down halfway through the season. The '49 season would be the last for the New England League and was the last season of professional baseball played at the stadium.
In 1998 the New England Collegiate Baseball League
New England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...
, a collegiate summer baseball league, needed a team to host the former Rhode Island Reds
Riverpoint Royals
The Riverpoint Royals was a team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League from 1996 to 2004. The team was known as the Rhode Island Reds from 1996 to 1999 before going on hiatus for the 2000 season and returning the following year....
who had been based in West Warwick, Rhode Island
West Warwick, Rhode Island
West Warwick is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 29,191 at the 2010 census.West Warwick was incorporated in 1913, making it the youngest town in the state. Prior to 1913, the town, situated on the western bank of the Pawtuxet River, was the population and...
. Cranston Stadium was chosen to host the Rhode Island Gulls
Newport Gulls
The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, summer collegiate baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of both the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the NECBL's East Division. From 2001 to the present, the Gulls have played at Cardines...
. However, the team lasted only three seasons in Cranston before moving to Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
and being re-named The Newport Gulls
Newport Gulls
The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, summer collegiate baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of both the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the NECBL's East Division. From 2001 to the present, the Gulls have played at Cardines...
.
Improvements and present day
The city of Cranston has kept the baseball field in good playing shape and it has continued to host various forms of amateur baseball including, high schools, American LegionAmerican Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
and wooden bat tournaments. In 2007 the City of Cranston had field turf installed on the football portion of the stadium facility at a cost of $839,000. The city has been able to add field hockey and soccer to the stadium and reports show that the field is now making about $250,000 to $300,000 per year in rental fees.