MONTREAL | Saputo Stadium Expansion

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I thought the Impact were already in MLS. So before this year Toronto FC was the only Canadian based franchise?

In regards to the stadium, that's good news for Montreal. What stadium do the Alouettes play in? I thought they shared a stadium with the Impact.

No, the Alouettes play at Percival Molson Stadium at McGill University downtown. L'Impact has its own stadium right next to Olympic Stadium in the east end of the city.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Acajack

No, the Alouettes play at Percival Molson Stadium at McGill University downtown. L'Impact has its own stadium right next to Olympic Stadium in the east end of the city.

OIC. Thanks for the clarification.

[Obey]

MLS Looks Forward to Adding Montreal in 2012
http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=361111

MONTREAL -- Major League Soccer looks to have found a gem with the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps and expects to have another next year when the Montreal Impact become the league's 19th franchise.

Commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday the Montreal Impact could likely have joined MLS this year if the commitment weren't already in place to add Vancouver and Portland for the 2011 season.

In Montreal, they will have a team that has been consistently strong on the field and in ticket sales in the United Soccer Leagues and the new version of the North American Soccer League.

"In many ways, the Impact have been the model for many MLS teams today," Garber said on a visit to The Canadian Press offices. "What (team president) Joey Saputo and his family have done is establish a credible, viable team in a major market.

"When they come into MLS, fans will be able to see the likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez and be involved in a league with greater value and opportunity. I don't know that Montreal needs to emulate anybody."

The Impact, who open their final NASL season Saturday in Tampa Bay, will expand Saputo Stadium from 13,000 to 20,000 seats for the jump to MLS.

They will be the third Canadian-based club along with Vancouver and Toronto FC, which joined in 2007.

Garber said they hope to add a 20th club in the New York City area by 2013 or 2014, but so far have no specific expansion plans beyond that.

MLS wants a second team in North America's largest urban centre to go with the New York Red Bulls. There is talk a reviving the New York Cosmos, a prominent club from the original NASL in the 1970s and 1980s.

"Our focus is on it being in the New York metropolitan area," he said. "We have a lot of work to do to achieve that.

"Unlike the success we had here with working with the municipality on expansion of Saputo Stadium, we're at ground zero as it relates to that soccer stadium for a team in New York. But we're working on it. Hopefully within the next year we'll be able to get something finalized."

While Ottawa and other Canadian cities have considered MLS, the league is not looking at adding any more Canadian teams any time soon.

"We're excited about the (Canadian) market," said Garber. "Whether that requires us to have more teams in the country remains to be seen.

"Right now our goal is to be in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. We're looking to grow the soccer market and convert all those people that love the game into being passionate supporters of their local MLS team. I don't know that expansion is a necessary element of that plan in the short term."

The next focus will be the American midwest and southeast, he said.

"We're in discussions with Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas, San Diego, Miami -- many different markets," he said. "The question is when."

Garber said the league is already preparing to add French content to its website and to hire some French-speaking personnel to reach Quebec fans when Montreal gets on board, giving it trilingual English, Spanish and French elements.

"We are a league for a new North America that is increasingly tri-cultural," he said. "We will not only manage it but embrace that quality. We're excited about it too. It's one of the things that attracted us to Montreal."

The Whitecaps have so far made a splashy entry. Like Montreal, they had a long history of success and a decent crowd support in other leagues. A Whitecaps team with a large group of players from last year's NASL club beat Toronto in its first game and has gone 1-1-1 with seven goals scored to start the season.

"Vancouver has had recent success and I'm very impressed by what they've achieved," said Garber. "Portland will have similar success. Montreal will be able to hop on the bandwagon with a lot of momentum and hopefully take it to a higher level."

Montreal's entry will give the league an odd number of teams and force changes in the schedule and the conference format that have yet to be worked out.

And the chilly April weather in Montreal for his tour of local media drove home his conviction that it is not in the league's interest to switch over to the European August-to-May schedule, even if that has been done in Russia where it is just as cold in winter.

[tovan]

http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/new...ar-partnership

MONTREAL, January 17, 2012 – The Minister of Tourism and minister of the Olympic Park, Ms. Ménard, along with Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo and president of the Olympic Stadium, Mr. David Heurtel, announced on Tuesday a four year partnership between the two organizations, reinforcing the stature of professional sports at the Olympic Stadium.

The deal stipulates that of the 17 regular season home games that the club will play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2012, five of those matches will be played at Olympic Stadium, as well as the Canadian Nutrilite Championship game. For the 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons, the Impact should play two or three games at Olympic Stadium, including the home openers.

A marketing plan will also be developed for events that involve the Impact and Olympic Stadium. The club’s participation in the park’s events has also been confirmed, starting next summer.

An open house will be organized for all, as part of the opening day festivities for the Impact home opener in MLS against the Chicago Fire. Via the Impact Soccer Schools, the club will also organize a special clinic for young players from around the province of Quebec, giving them the opportunity to play on the same pitch as the pros.

“This is an extremely positive step for the Olympic Park. The basis of this agreement with the Impact is a significant step in the revival of the site and proves that this event site continues to be a driving force in Montreal’s sports environment. Hosting the historic inaugural game of the Impact at Olympic Stadium will bring the site into the soccer public and tourists from all across North America and even internationally, which will contribute to the international influence of Quebec and Montreal,” said Minister Ménard.

“We are proud of this partnership with the Olympic Park and we are pleased to contribute to its functions as a major sports venue ,” declared Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo. “As we will live a historic year for soccer in Quebec, this strong partnership is very positive for the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Montreal and our club. This will most notably provide a venue where international matches can be held. The Olympic Stadium is a great soccer venue where we have had success in the past. We hope to repeat some of those exploits, both on the pitch and in the stands.”

[Copes]

The first match ever is to be held today at Saputo Stadium. I for one am quite excited to watch from the island!

http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/mat...e-16-mtl-v-sea


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=pDrdDK9QuhY

[MTLskyline]

This project is complete. The Impact have moved in.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by MTLskyline

This project is complete. The Impact have moved in and sometimes spectators show up.

edited for accuracy.

[MTLskyline]

Moved to completed projects forum.