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Rhino Reboot: docuseries to be produced about local soccer team

David and Wendy Dworkin have owned the Rochester Rhinos since 2016. The club went dormant in 2017. The Dworkins also co-own the Sacramento Kings of the NBA.
Provided
David and Wendy Dworkin have owned the Rochester Rhinos since 2016. The club went dormant in 2017. The Dworkins also co-own the Sacramento Kings of the NBA.

 

The rebranded Rochester Rhinos  team that is expected to be in action next year will also be featured in a new documentary TV series.

The docuseries about the team is called Rhino Reboot, and it’s being produced by Love Productions USA, a company which has produced several Netflix series about competition and sports.

Al Edgington is one of the co-presidents of the production company and is also one of the executive producers, and he said they like to focus on underdogs, like the Rhinos, a team that rose to a U.S. Open Cup championship in 1999, but went dormant after the 2017 season.

The majority owners of the team, David and Wendy Dworkin, announced earlier this monththat international soccer star Jamie Vardy has purchased a minority stake in the team. Edgington says this series will document the rebirth of the franchise next year.

“We’ll be following the players, we’ll be following also a group of English gentlemen who have come over, half of whom have never been to America before and watching them and they’re sort of a fish out of water, discovering what it’s like to try and run a soccer team in the U.S. It’s going to be absolutely fascinating,” Edgington said.

Leicester City star Jamie Vardy, who led the club on an improbable run to the Premier League title in 2014, is now a co-owner of the Rochester Rhinos.
Credit Provided
Leicester City star Jamie Vardy, who led the club on an improbable run to the Premier League title in 2014, is now a co-owner of the Rochester Rhinos.

Edgington said the production company has been talking with networks that provide streamed content, but he can’t say yet which network the series will end up on. In any case, Edgington said expect to see Rochester get some global attention. 

“Teams are nothing without their fans so we are hoping that…we want to ensure that Rochester is a big character in this series and we want to find the people at the heart of the city who are lifelong fans of the Rhinos who want to see them rise again,” Edgington said.

Edgington said the production company has been talking with networks that provide streamed content, but he can’t say yet which network the series will end up on.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.