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.”
About the Impact
The Montreal Impact is the city’s professional soccer team. The club came to be in 1993 and now has four teams under its umbrella (pros, Under-21, Under-18 and Under-16), as well as a sports-etudes program. The club has won three playoff championships (1994, 2004 and 2009), five regular season titles (1995, 1996, 1997, 2005 and 2006), one Canadian Nutrilite Championship (2008) and took part in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League in front of 55,571 supporters on February 25, 2009, at Olympic Stadium. The Impact, playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL) last season, has now joined the ranks of the most prestigious soccer league in North America in 2012, Major League Soccer. Stade Saputo, the Impact’s home field since 2008, will be expanded to seat 20,341 supporters for its first MLS season.
About Olympic Park
A daring architectural infrastructure, Olympic Park was constructed in 1976 as Montreal hosted the Olympic Summer Games that year. Since its inauguration, it has played host to over 100 million visitors, whether as tourists in Montreal who wanted to catch a glimpse of the entire city from its world’s highest inclined tower, to take in a special event at the stadium, or to train at the rsports centre, which is also the host for a multitude of national and international competitions. The Olympic Park site, with its installations and hundreds of partners, is visited by over three million people each year. Open to the world and in accord with the community of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maissonneuve, the Olympic Park hopes to become a unique recreo-tourist site where creativity, discovery, fun and physical activity are part of the experience. To meet this objective, an annual program aimed at culture, sport and sustainable development will be presented at the Sunlife Financial Esplanade, debuting spring 2012.
