Saputo Stadium (french: link=no, Stade Saputo) is a
soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi- ...
at
Olympic Park in the borough of
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada located in the southeastern end of the island.
History
''See Mercier and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve articles for a more detailed histories of respective areas''
Hochelaga was f ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
,
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
, Canada. The stadium opened on May 21, 2008, and is the current home of
CF Montréal
CF Montréal is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Montréal, Québec, Canada. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1992 as the Montreal Impact (french: Impact de Montréal, links=no ...
(formerly the Montreal Impact). The stadium is built on the former practice track and field site on the grounds of the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
, while the stadium's east side has a view of
Olympic Stadium's inclined tower. It has a capacity of 19,619,
making it the second-largest soccer-specific stadium in Canada, after
BMO Field
BMO Field is an outdoor stadium located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which is home to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Constructed on the site of the former ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
.
Construction
The stadium cost ($ in dollars) to build, with $7.5 million paid by the Saputo family and the rest financed on a 25-year term. Saputo Stadium is now CF Montréal's administrative headquarters and also includes a training field, 34 corporate suites and full player welfare areas. The complex covers approximately . It was designed and fabricated by Dant Clayton Corporation and built by Broccolini Construction Inc.
The stadium features a natural grass playing surface and was reportedly preferred over BMO Field for this reason by members of the
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team (french: Équipe du Canada de soccer masculin) represents Canada in international soccer competitions since 1924. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Can ...
. BMO Field has since installed a heated and fully irrigated natural grass field similar to those found in the English
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
.
Anticipating a Montreal entry into
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
, plans were made to expand the stadium from its initial 13,034 capacity to 20,000 to cope with the anticipated boost in attendance. The Quebec government put $23 million for the renovation and expansion of the stadium (the total cost of the stadium was therefore about $40 million). The construction plans went into effect after MLS granted Montreal their
nineteenth franchise, which began play in the
2012 season.
Sports usage
The stadium welcomed its first Impact home game on May 19, 2008, a scoreless draw against the
Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...
. The Impact's first goal in the stadium was scored by
Rocco Placentino against the
Charleston Battery
The Charleston Battery are an American professional soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in th ...
on June 13, 2008. This also gave the Impact its first victory in the stadium, with a score of 1–0. The Impact's first game in the newly renovated and expanded Saputo was played on June 16, 2012, against the
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
. The Impact won the game 4–1.
The only official international matches played at Saputo Stadium were two matches played by
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team (french: Équipe du Canada de soccer masculin) represents Canada in international soccer competitions since 1924. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Can ...
during the
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
The CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football) 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, qualification stage for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa consisted of 35 national teams competing for the three ...
.
Gallery
File:Canada11.jpg, View inside the stadium prior to expansion
File:Preferential tribune from south tribune.jpg, Saputo Preferential Tribune prior to expansion
File:Saputo Stadium in night.jpg, Saputo Stadium at night prior to expansion
File:Olympique from Saputo.jpg, Stadium in 2010 prior to expansion
File:2012 Impact de Montréal au stade Saputo.jpg, Home match against New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...
in 2012
File:2012 Impact Montreal Stade Saputo.jpg, Goal celebration against D.C. United in 2012
File:IMFC Pre Game Montreal Impact Columbus Crew 2012-07-08.jpg, Stadium in July 2012 after expansion
File:Imfc-crew-debout.jpg, Scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used ...
of Saputo Stadium
See also
*
List of soccer stadiums in Canada
The following is a partial list of Canadian soccer stadiums, in order by capacity. Not all stadiums are used exclusively for soccer; some also host Canadian football, rugby and/or track and field.
Current stadiums
Former stadiums
See also
*Li ...
*
List of Major League Soccer stadiums
*
List of Canadian Premier League stadiums
References
External links
Stadesaputo.com
{{North American Soccer League stadiums
North American Soccer League stadiums
Major League Soccer stadiums
CF Montréal
Soccer venues in Montreal
Sports venues in Montreal
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
2008 establishments in Quebec
Sports venues completed in 2008