New Indoor Sports Facility to Open In August

Quonset's newest resident may make the excuse "there's nothing to do in North Kingstown" invalid. 

Gov. Lincoln Chafee, state officials and members of the business community welcomed Wide World of Indoors Sports to the Quonset Gateway Thursday afternoon in a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony. 

"This is great for the kids because these days they come home and start texting," said Stephen Sangermano, owner of Wide World of Indoor Sports. "They don't have a lot of ways to release their energy."

The 76,000 sq. ft. facility will be located behind the former Lowe's building on Davisville Road in the Quonset Business Park. Programs for soccer, field hockey, flag football, lacrosse, softball, volleyball, wiffleball and more will be offered for all ages. The facility will also hold adult leagues, youth leagues and classes, camps, tournaments and even birthday parties. According to Sangermano and co-owner Dan Fawcett, the North Kingstown location will be similar to their other location in North Smithfield - the state's only facility non-boarded fields.

"[The North Smithfield location] is just magnificent," said Bud Violet of the Ocean State Business Development Authority. "It's almost the Fenway Park of soccer."

Wide World of Indoor Sports is expected to bring in 85 full- and part-time employees with its North Kingstown location, adding to the already 8,800 jobs already in Quonset. According to Quonset Development Corporation Managing Director Steven King, there are only 34 sites and 350 acres of undeveloped land remaining in the business park.

The Wide World of Indoor Sports' North Kingstown facility is set to open in August 2012.