New Stadium for Montreal Impact

[aleaguer]

THE MONTREAL IMPACT WILL PLAY IN A NEW STADIUM
The Saputo Stadium will be the new home of the Montreal Impact

MONTREAL, May 4, 2005 - The Montreal Impact will have a new home. The Saputo Stadium, a 13,500-seat stadium, will open its doors in the actual Technoparc and will be part of a larger sport complex designed specifically for soccer: the Complexe Place du Public.

The news was confirmed at a press conference, Wednesday, by Montreal Impact president, Joey Saputo, the mayor of Montreal, Gérald Tremblay, the mayor of the Burrough of Sud-Ouest, Jacqueline Montpetit, and Mr. Lino Saputo.

"The Impact's primary mission has always been to develop soccer in Quebec. But to continue to progress, we had to innovate for the future, " said Montreal Impact president, Joey Saputo. "With a lack of fields on the territory, the need for high-level installations on the island of Montreal and a Claude-Robillard Stadium that was getting smaller and smaller, we had to find an innovative solution to accommodate the sport in order to ensure its development."

Located north of the Bonaventure autoroute and south of the downtown area, the Complexe Place du Public will have an overall surface area of 1.6 million square feet and will be entirely financed by private funds to the cost of 15 million dollars. The Saputo family announced they will donate 7.5 million dollars in the project.

"I'm extremely proud of the Complexe Place du Public, declared Mr. Lino Saputo. "For my family and me this project is an ideal opportunity to give something back to the community that has supported us so outstandingly since the founding of our company in 1954. I'm already enjoying the prospect of soccer players, young ones as well as older ones, practicing their favourite sport in these high-level facilities."

The new complex will have three soccer fields that will be available for regional soccer clubs and associations. The stadium, which could be expanded to 17,000 seats, could also host regional, provincial, national or international soccer competitions.

The Complexe Place du Public will be managed by a non-profit organization whose mission will be to promote the development of soccer by offering high-level installations to the citizens of the Greater Montreal region.

The Impact won the First Division United Soccer Leagues last season in front of a crowd of 13,648 spectators at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex. The Impact finished the 2004 season with an average of 9,279 fans per game, a team record which eclipsed the previous mark of 7,236 spectators per game set in 2003.

Doesn't say when it'll open. I'm sure there will be details eventually.

[VioletCrown]

Sweet. So, that's Charleston, Montreal and Rochester. Am I missing any? Approaching half the league.

[aleaguer]

More, if the league keeps shrinking. :)

[Stan Collins]

Hmm. Wonder where they get the 17,000 figure from? I'm assuming the expandability factor is because one side of the stadium will initially be open. But how do you know how many seats you could get into it?

On the downside, the 17,000 figure is probably indicative that the club doesn't aspire to MLS in the near future.

Even so, it'll be very good for the forward development of the club in the USL. This will be only the second time in my memory (after Rochester) that an SSS was built with the fact that the old stadium was too small to meet demand as one of the reasons.

They and Rochester togeteher, for as long as they're both in the league, could significantly raise the level and profile of the USL.

[aleaguer]

Photos here (http://pepe.hete.org/complexe-sportif).

Have they ever thought of doing renderings of the inside of the stadium? It looks like a YMCA from the outside.

[SABuffalo786]

Sweet. So, that's Charleston, Montreal and Rochester. Am I missing any? Approaching half the league.


Atlanta is getting one, I think.


http://img107.echo.cx/img107/2443/03we.jpg


http://img107.echo.cx/img107/1412/61yr.jpg


Awwwww......How cute.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Probably no coincidence that the capacity numbers are very similar to Rochester's Paetec park.

[Wilmots]

The main concern we have here in Montreal is the the field is only 100 x 64 meters, which is too small, according to FIFA regulations, to host international level games... including the games of the U20 World Cup...

Somebody missed a memo at some point, and I hope they're gonna fix this soon.

[Stan Collins]

Umm, no it isn't. A field must be 70 yards wide (being an English game, all the original measurements are in English units) to host internationals. 64 meters is just big enough.

[Stan Collins]

Probably no coincidence that the capacity numbers are very similar to Rochester's Paetec park. These two franchises increasingly measure themselves against each other. They are becoming the Lakers and Celtics of the USL.

[VioletCrown]

These two franchises increasingly measure themselves against each other. They are becoming the Lakers and Celtics of the USL.

And that can only be a good thing. Now that I think about it, there's a solid rivalry on the east, a solid three-way in the west. I wonder if that can be enough to stabilize things and start them going the other direction?

[Stan Collins]

Might. You're right it can't hurt. I personally believe a league wtiih two dominant franchises is in much better shape than a league with one.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

The main concern we have here in Montreal is the the field is only 100 x 64 meters, which is too small, according to FIFA regulations, to host international level games... including the games of the U20 World Cup

That's sound OK to me by international standards. That means the field is 110 x 70 yards.

[Wilmots]

That's sound OK to me by international standards. That means the field is 110 x 70 yards.

You're right. I double-checked and the FIFA minimum requirements are 100 X 64 m, so it's fine.

BUT... the rules for the U-20 championship stipulate that the fields must be between 105 and 110 m in length and between 68 and 75 m in width, and this is where the problem lies.

[Stan Collins]

Huh. Interesting. Perhaps the deal is that the field will be wider for the U-20 than for the Impact. I could especially see that happening if the stands are open on one side. (Which would also explain the expandability.) Pictures don't really look like it, though.

[Crewmudgeon]

I did the math. 100.6 X 64 meters is 110 X 70 yards.

[Stan Collins]

However, looking at the up-close version of the above picture, that dark green area is neither field nor stands, and could conceivably be used to temporarily widen the field. It wouldn't leave much room for throw-ins, it might complicate some of the views, and it would be lop-sided (there must be some room on the bottom side for benches), but it could work in a pinch, and would probably get you an extra 4 meters.

[mkb3]

Will they have a poutine stand? Love that stuff.

[Wilmots]

Well, we need 4 meters in width and 5 meters in length. The length is not a problem since one end is open. And the stands are 3.5 meters away from the picth, so we only need 2 meters each side, which leaves 1.5 meters of space, the minimum required being (I believe) 1 meter, it's fine. Slightly unconfortable for the players and coaches on the bench, but fine... unless of course the benches are in the stands, like in England.

They should just go for 105 x 68 and build the stands around that with 3.5 meters off all around the pitch.

[evanpemsocr]

Atlanta is getting one, I think.

Ive heard than atlanta was getting one a few years back, even saw sketches but nothing has come of it yet.