Brett Johnson on launching Rhode Island FC, keys to USL success, pro/rel, and American ownership in England

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In May, Rhode Island FC debuted in its new 10,500-seat soccer-specific stadium — something Brett Johnson envisioned when he purchased USL rights to the Rhode Island market six years ago.

Centreville Bank Stadium sits on the banks of the Seekonk River, well known to Johnson from his collegiate rowing days while at Brown University.

The New York City-raised Johnson moved to California after undergraduate studies and eventually merged his increasing soccer enchantment with his business career, which included his founding of the private equity fund Benevolent Capital in 2005.

In 2015, he co-founded Phoenix Rising FC, which became a USL Championship success story. In 2018, Johnson founded Fortuitous Partners, a sports-anchored real estate development and investment firm. In 2021, Johnson was part of the American consortium that took ownership of Ipswich Town.

We spoke to the Rhode Island FC chairman and co-founder amid its second USL Championship season about his soccer ventures on both sides of the Atlantic — and of how he foresees the future of American pro soccer with USL’s promotion/relegation plans on the horizon.

SOCCER AMERICA: What’s your personal soccer history?

BRETT JOHNSON: It started for me when I lived in London in my late 20s and was traveling around the world. I had a front row seat to “the world’s second religion,” which is football. That planted a seed for me. I felt that, at some point, the United States could rival that passion for the game and also be more competitive on the pitch.

The women have always been fantastic on the global stage, but I believe that U.S. men can also be one of the top national teams in the world. In summary, I played at a very mediocre level in school, but I have always loved the sport and really fell in love with it while traveling around the world.

SA: Between the teams you have ownership in, how frequently are you able to attend games? How avidly do you follow games on TV/streaming? Is it fun and/or stressful watching them?

BRETT JOHNSON: It is a real joy for me, my family and friends. I very rarely miss streaming a match, and I wake up early on Saturdays to watch Ipswich Town. During the summer months, I am on the East Coast and attend all the Rhode Island FC games in person. 

I have a tendency, whether I am watching in person or whether I am watching via livestream, I rarely sit down. I like to pace and watch. My kids will start counting out loud when I sit down, because they know it will only be about 10 seconds before I stand up.

SA: Can you reflect on founding Rhode Island FC to its stadium opening this season?

BRETT JOHNSON: I say with total humility that I am very proud of taking the initiative to bring a team here when I heard that the Pawtucket Red Sox were leaving the state of Rhode Island. I very quickly bought the rights to the USL in the state, and I have to give large credit to my partner, Dan Kroeber, and by extension, our entire ownership group, and the State of Rhode Island and City of Pawtucket, to make this project and bring the beautiful game here a reality 

It was not easy, but the state deserves this stadium and this team. The greatest satisfaction is when I get the pleasure of going to our games, especially now, in our brand-new world-class stadium, and seeing the way it is impacting lives, jobs, and creating social and economic impact. Most importantly the way it brings the community together, giving them something of their own. Again, with total humility, it is probably one of the things I am most proud of in my professional career.

SA: When you started the RIFC project you hooked up with Michael Parkhurst, the Rhode Island product who went on to star in MLS and earn 25 U.S. caps …

BRETT JOHNSON: When you are talking about soccer (or football, if you will) in Rhode Island and hall of famers, it begins and ends with Michael Parkhurst. From inception, I had every interest and intent in partnering with Michael, and it has been a dream collaboration. Anyone who knows Michael, knows he was a world-class player on the pitch, along with his incredible character, integrity, and personality. He deserves a lot of credit.

SA: How much do you get — or have been — involved in on-field decisions with Phoenix Rising, RIFC and Ipswich Town? Coaching appointments, player acquisitions and transfers?

BRETT JOHNSON: I do not manage any of the technical side of any of my teams. I never have and I never will. 

When an owner mistakes success in one part of their life or career, they can sometimes equate that to thinking they can figure out how to put the right formula together on the pitch.  That is where ownership goes to make big mistakes. That is why Michael [Parkhurst] deserves the credit. He was instrumental in bringing in RIFC head coach Khano Smith and I am really proud of that decision. 

My responsibility is to find the best people and put them in the positions to make those decisions. I am at a point where I do not let my ego get in the way. This has never been about my ego, and I will never know enough about football to ever think I can make a meaningful decision relative to a player, etc. Among the three clubs that I have been involved with, they collectively won seven trophies in six years. So, something is going right, but I try not to take too much credit for it. I am just thrilled to be part of the ride. 

For Rhode Island FC, I think the results speak for themselves. Certainly, in our first season, winning the Eastern Conference Championship and going all the way to the final. Despite the mixed results this season with a bit of a sophomore slump, which I think we will break out of, we have outstanding players and technical ability. It is Michael’s leadership and our partnership that balances each other very well.

SA: What is your most hands-on work with the teams?

BRETT JOHNSON: With Rhode Island FC, I was in the trenches for over six years working with my partner Dan Kroeber to make the stadium a reality. That was an incredible amount of time and money. 

Being based in Los Angeles, I traveled to Rhode Island basically every two weeks. So, I dedicated an incredible part of my life to making that project a reality. The stadium is done, the team is launched, and I am really fortunate to work with an exceptional team. The only way you can possibly be 3,000 miles away from a project and have it succeed, is if you are filling all the right seats with great, talented people who know their roles and responsibilities, take great pride and passion in what they do and just execute brilliantly. So now, I am the beneficiary of an exceptional team. There is no finish line to this and I feel now that the stadium is open, the real work begins.

SA: What do Phoenix Rising’s impact on the USL and American soccer?

BRETT JOHNSON: I think that Didier Drogba joining a USL franchise is one of the greatest athlete recruitment stories of all time. 

My partner, Berke Bakay, who partners with me at Ipswich and other endeavors, deserves the credit in bringing Didier to join our ownership group. Phoenix built an outstanding modular stadium in a short period of time in a great location. We still hold the record for the longest winning streak in North American soccer history with 20 wins in a row. 

Phoenix really helped the USL establish the league on a global scale with Didier coming into play and the results we started to see. They started to execute on a playbook that other clubs started to emulate. I coveted the opportunity with Rhode Island to find a way to build a great stadium in a great location and put a great product on the pitch. A lot of that obviously came from my time, experience and success with Phoenix, and then also what I have been lucky enough to be a part of with Ipswich.

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SA: How important to the viability of a USL Championship team is the real estate aspect, ie: activating real estate with the stadium. (The league even has a “Chief Real Estate Officer,” Justin Papadakis, also its Deputy Chief Executive Officer.)

BRETT JOHNSON: I say with humility, I feel that my business plan all along was to pursue a stadium and the surrounding real estate. I do not take credit for that idea. I am borrowing it from my backyard of Los Angeles, looking at LA Live and the downtown development there, looking at the Atlanta Braves and Truist Park. There are countless examples of major league teams in big markets that develop stadiums and surrounding real estate. 

Rhode Island FC deserves credit for being able to achieve this as an expansion team in the second division of the U.S. soccer pyramid. We have now found a formula to bring this to smaller, secondary or emerging underserved sports markets. I think the exciting opportunity for the USL, and why Justin Papadakis is now Chief Real Estate Officer, is that if you have the asset of the stadium, it is a no brainer to start to engage the surrounding area. Activations and real estate are a big part of it.

Looking at Pawtucket, Rhode Island, we took fallow land that was a brownfield site and essentially a dumping ground, and we converted it into a world-class stadium. It is engaging both sides of the river in the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution.

There is a legacy in being able to clean up that site and build our stadium on land that was previously unable to be developed, and now moving forward with the next phase, which is the housing. I am confident that over time we will showcase hospitality and retail, and it will become a marquee corridor of southern New England and certainly Rhode Island.

SA: What are the key revenue streams for USL Championship teams? If one looks at the attendance figures, then considers the expenses such as travel and payroll, it would seem a challenge to break even or make a profit? Is it feasible for a club to run a USL Championship club long-term if it doesn’t own its stadium? (Stadium ownership of course is a key to MLS teams’ success.)

BRETT JOHNSON: I can speak to our business plan with the size of the stadium we have (10,500 seats), the average attendance with our average ticket price, merchandise sales and sponsorship support. I am confident that over time we will be able to develop and own the rights and sell players to bigger, deeper pocketed clubs, which is something we see growing significantly in the USL, along with the substantial real estate being developed.

Speaking for what I can control, I have every confidence that Rhode Island FC will be a profitable team. The stadium and the surrounding real estate will be profitable. But I say it all the time — none of this is easy or for the faint of heart. I think the USL in general, and Rhode Island FC specifically, has a formula to create a sustainable platform, which is what everything is all about in any business or endeavor, but especially in sports.

For Centreville Bank Stadium, we just announced that the venue will host the 43rd Governor’s Cup matchup between Brown University and the University of Rhode Island. We hosted Major League Rugby, and we are going to, at some point, have concerts. We had an international friendly, the U.S. Open Cup, and now we are preparing for the USL Jägermeister Cup quarterfinals.

In a short period of time, Centreville Bank Stadium is punching well above its weight class in terms of what my hopes and expectations were, and they were high.

SA: You mentioned merchandise sales. RIFC announced its long-term uniform deal/equipment partnership ahead of taking the field in its first season of 2024 …

BRETT JOHNSON: Capelli has been a great partner for us, and they offer the ability to come up with great customization and flexibility. In the past I have worked with a whole host of big brand apparel companies, and the reality is that they are incredibly limiting.

Capelli is a real partnership and the quality of designs that both the Rhode Island FC team and Capelli have been able to come up with, and the amount of merchandise we have been selling really speaks volumes to it. I have been blown away with the numbers that we are seeing, and a lot of credit goes to them. And by extension, the individuals within Rhode Island FC that come up with these incredible designs.

SA: Do you foresee a 2026 World Cup impact on the USL Championship?

BRETT JOHNSON: With all eyes on North America, I think we will see an impact. I think it is going to inspire the younger generations to choose soccer as their sport of choice, with some amazing talent developing as a result. Additionally, deep-pocketed, foreign clubs with sovereign wealth funds are going to look at the United States and possibly want to be a part of it.

I think the USL offers a very attractive pathway for those that want an entry into the United States. A club like Rhode Island FC, with its stadium and geographical location, is really proximate to Europe, England, etc. I am bullish towards all the different metrics that will come out of the 2026 World Cup, the Olympics in LA in 2028, and then the Women’s World Cup in 2031.  

SA: What do you imagine the USL Championship will look like in 5, 10 or 20 years?

BRETT JOHNSON: I think in five years we will have established three very clear levels of the soccer pyramid. You will have, if the nomenclature sticks, a “Premier League,” because we already have Championship and League One, which is right out of the English soccer pyramid. So, the USL will create a division one, sanctioned Premier League. Rhode Island FC has every intent to be part of that. With the adoption of promotion-relegation, I think we will be able to engage fans like never before. 

I am very bullish about the USL. We have to continue to attract the quality of ownership groups that are building fantastic stadiums and investing in teams and fans. We need a lot more stadiums like Centreville Bank Stadium. The USL needs to get out of baseball stadiums and college football stadiums. Soccer-specific stadiums have changed everything. They changed MLS and they are going to continue to change and shape the USL. 

SA: Do you foresee a future in which USL is on par with MLS in terms of attendance, TV exposure, and player signings?

BRETT JOHNSON: I have a great deal of respect for MLS. It is just a very different product. They have chosen a pathway. I think $600 million is likely the next franchise expansion fee, which is something only a handful of markets can justify. That is before you build a stadium, before you put a front office in place, before you try to compete with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. You are talking billions of dollars if you want to really properly launch an MLS franchise.

I think the USL provides a very viable, economical alternative. That is what makes me bullish. I spend my time focused on how we create the greatest possible product and leagues within the USL; a truly dynamic product that engages fans, develops world-class talent and ultimately gets wrapped up in a very sustainable economic package. And if we can do that, then the future is very, very bright, and I think we are making great strides toward doing that.

SA: Were you in favor of USL promotion-relegation plans?

BRETT JOHNSON: Yes. Every game has to matter. You cannot check out as a fan. You cannot check out as a player. I have said for a long time, the lack of promotion-relegation almost rewards ownership groups for not investing. And as a fan, I think that is a sin. I think a lot of leagues and fans tend to check out. There is very little repercussion for an ownership group for not investing because you are not going to get relegated.

SA: Speaking of pro-rel: what was the key to Ipswich securing back-to-back promotions: from League One to Championship to Premier League?

BRETT JOHNSON: Mark Ashton, the CEO, “discovered” Kieran McKenna, who was the assistant coach at Manchester United before taking on the manager role at Ipswich. Kieran was the manager two seasons ago before we got promoted to the Premier League.

So, it starts and ends with Kieran a fair bit. Then, the quality, the players, the culture and everything, literally and figuratively, just bounced the right way.

At Ipswich, if there was any downside, it was too much success too soon with the back-to-back promotions. Getting up to the Premier League so fast, largely on the shoulders of the same team that we had sitting in League One, we found it difficult to compete in such a short timeframe with the quality that is inherent in the Premier League. We will go back down to the Championship, regroup this year, and the goal is to get back up and be far better positioned to compete day in and day out in the Premier League.

SA: There’s been a proliferation of American ownership of English clubs. Are there any uniquely positive things American owners bring to English soccer clubs?

BRETT JOHNSON: Speaking just for Ipswich, I think the fan base really embraces American ownership. They appreciate how we have turned the fortunes of the club around very quickly, brought talent like Mark Ashton and Kieran McKenna, and figured out where our strengths and weaknesses are and how to solve those weaknesses.

I think a lot of American owners that have invested in English football recognize that there is nothing quite like English football. I have a bias towards it, but I think there are a whole host of Americans and of other countries that have recognized how much fun this can be. At the end of the day, you have to treat it like a business, and if you approach it in any other manner, if you allow ego to get in the way, or think you could just do it part time and see success or positive results, you will not.

SA: Are there any aspects of how American sports are run that would benefit European club soccer or vice versa?

BRETT JOHNSON: I think Americans really look at the entertainment side of sport, which I think can be valuable to a certain extent. The feel of a Rhode Island FC game is a little bit different than the feel of an Ipswich game at Portman Road. We lean slightly more into the entertainment factor in Rhode Island, whereas Portman Road leans heavily into the football experience. 

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