Rhode Island Breakers Angling Club, Sports Franchise, at March 6th event – Invitational this Summer

The Rhode Island Breakers Angling Club, an expansion team joining the Atlantic Division of the SFC (Sport Fishing Championship) is Rhode Island’s only professional offshore sportfishing league. They are officially launching The Breakers to the public at the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Show, March 6, 2026, at the Providence Convention Center.

The expansion comes at the end of SFC’s regular season, a 12-tournament gauntlet running from April to August. The league’s 14 angling clubs, representing major markets from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, aim to earn enough points to qualify for October’s Zane Grey Championship Playoffs, held in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Playoff berths are awarded to the top two angling clubs from each division at the end of the regular season.

Rhode Island’s fishing heritage and strong support for the industry make it a natural home for the league as they continue to grow and introduce the sport to new audiences throughout the country. SFC’s professional angling club format has attracted ownership groups across sports and entertainment, including PGA champion Scottie Scheffler, Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert, country music artist Brian Kelley, LIV Golf pros Talor Gooch and Harold Varner III, and NASCAR driver Austin Dillon.

The Breakers will compete aboard El Bendido, a custom 66-foot Blackwell that just completed an extensive 18-month refit in preparation for the 2026 SFC season, fully equipped for tournament fishing and designed for speed and offshore performance, capable of traveling the Eastern Seaboard to compete in major tournaments.

In a recent interview at the SFC media days event, Paul Squarcia, team leader of The Breakers said “Sport fishing is unique—it’s thrilling whether you’re a seasoned angler or just learning.” With SFC’s international broadcast partnership with ESPN and its distribution partners across the US, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, and our team’s ability to share compelling content on social media, we’re excited to introduce more fans to the excitement of competitive sportfishing.”

This July 31 through August 2, 2026, The Breakers will be hosting the first annual “Rhode Island Offshore Invitational Tournament” hosted by the city of Newport. Boats will compete 130 miles offshore for rankings and prize money as they hunt for Blue and White Marlin, Big Eye/Blue Fin Tuna, Yellowfin and more. Team boats and crew from across the league will attend a week long event that includes a concert from Country Music Star Brian Kelly hosting meet-and-greet parties where the public can meet the crews and owners. Some are:

• Ben Simmons, all-star player for the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers.
• Scottie Scheffler, Number 1 PGA Champion with over 20 tour wins.
• Talor Gooch, top LIV golf tour performer.
• Randy Moss, 6x Pro-Bowl NFL player with Patriots, Vikings, Raiders, Titans, and 49ers.
• Austin Dillon, 2x Nascar Champion and Daytona 500 winner.
• Raheem Mostert, Pro Bowl NFL running back.
• Harold Varner III, PGA and LIV Golf Professional.
• Terrence Murphy, 2x All American, Texas A & M.
• Jeffery Simmons, 3x NFL Pro Bowl Tackle for the Titans.

The economic impact is not insignificant. The Breakers will be a focal point representing the State’s recreational fishing industry of 50,000 registered Rhode Island fisherman with an additional 46,700 out-of-staters operating 32,000 registered boats. These 100,000 residents and visitors influence $370 million worth of economic activity across numerous industries and hospitality institutions.

Over 3,000 jobs exist just in the “core” fishing sector of gear, tackle, bait, marina services, etc. Over $25 million of state and local taxes are generated by recreational fishing activities alone. All this data can be verified by the American Sportfishing Association, www.asafishing.org and RIMTA data.

Additionally, the marine trade industry is a cornerstone of Rhode Island’s economy representing about 2,400 businesses, $5+ billion in revenue generation while supporting over 36,000+ high paying jobs across multiple sectors. When bundling together all this activity, the economic impact of the marine, boating and fisheries industry is over 8 percent of the state’s GDP.

The Breakers is a natural conduit to highlight this robust economic activity to Rhode Island’s residents and business leaders, while influencing neighboring states communities up and down the east coast as we compete. They are privately funded and staff a crew of 18 anglers, crew and administrators based in Rhode Island and developed community outreach programs with the Rhode Island Sports Commissioners office, the Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services, and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association… and they say that this is just the beginning.

The team will be at the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers show at the convention center, where they will have a virtual reality fishing platform there where you can fight big eyed tuna and blue marlin to get a sense of what it’s like fish offshore.

Reference Links
https://www.ribreakersac.com/
https://sportfishingchampionship.com/
The Rhode Island Breakers, 3303 South County Trail East Greenwich, Rhode Island, 02852 401-484-2400