S P O N S O R E D
C O N T E N T
Team Black Stars
Climbers and bouldering enthusiasts have their own slice of paradise at Lincoln Woods State Park in the Blackstone Valley( riparks. ri. gov). This is Rhode Island’ s top bouldering spot, with hundreds of granite problems set among shady woods and lakeside views. Whether you’ re a first-timer or a seasoned chalk-dusted veteran, Lincoln Woods is the place to test your skills and meet the local climbing community.
If you’ re a fan of bodybuilding or wrestling, you’ re in luck this summer. The PCA Rhode Island Muscle Competition will be held at Woonsocket’ s historic Stadium Theatre( stadiumtheatre. com) on June 27 and the WWE Friday Night SmackDown will be held on June 12 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in downtown Providence( amicamutual pavilion. com).
BASE CAMP: Bryant University
Within hours of the international soccer committee’ s announcement of the Team Draw in December, officials from the Ghana Football Association were on a plane, headed to New England to tour Rhode Island’ s Team Base Camp at Bryant University. Although the temperatures were bitter and the pitch was dormant, they were impressed by the security and beautiful array of new athletic amenities that they toured in Smithfield, putting Bryant University at the top of their selection with the governing soccer body.
Just three months later, Ocean State 2026 announced that Ghana’ s“ Black Stars”( who are named after the black star on the Ghanaian flag) would be coming to Rhode Island to train in preparation for their match against England on June 23 at Boston Stadium. The team, their coach and operations personnel will travel more than 5,000 miles before they lace up their boots and take to the pitch here in the Ocean State.
Ghana ' s Black Stars are four-time champions of the Africa Cup of Nations( AFCON). Right winger Mohammed Kudus brought them to a thrilling 1-0 victory over Comoros in Accra during the Confederation of African Football Group I division title match to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. ™
PHOTOGRAPHY:( THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) GETTY IMAGES / FRAZAO STUDIO LATINO; COURTESY OF GHANA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION; GETTY IMAGES / JULIET _ EDEN.( NEXT PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT) GETTY IMAGES / BHOFACK2; COURTESY GO PROVIDENCE / NICK MILLARD; EDELINDA BAPTISTA; COURTESY OF GATOR PUB; DISCOVER NEWPORT.
74 SUMMER OF SOCCER 2026