Estadio Francisco Montaner

Estadio Francisco Montaner
Francisco Montaner Stadium
Parque Paquito Montaner
Main entrance to the Francisco Montaner Stadium
Map
LocationPonce, Puerto Rico
OwnerMunicipality of Ponce
OperatorMunicipality of Ponce
CapacityBaseball-13,000

Track and Field-16,000

Soccer-15,500

Concerts-40,500

[1][2][3]
SurfaceModular artificial turf
Construction
Broke ground1947
Opened15 October 1949
Tenants
FC Leones (PRSL) (1949-2014)
Leones de Ponce (LBPPR) (current)
River Plate Ponce (former)
Leones de Ponce (basketball)) (1950-1971)

The Estadio Francisco ("Paquito") Montaner (English: Francisco ("Paquito") Montaner Stadium) is a multi-use stadium in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is home to the Leones de Ponce team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League (LBPPR) and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL). The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats.[1][2][3] Construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it opened on 15 October 1949.[4] Montaner is the first stadium in Puerto Rico with an artificial surface field.[5][6] The stadium lies next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, where the Ponce Lions (basketball) hold their games. The Stadium was named to honor Francisco "Paquito" Montaner, one of the greatest Puerto Rican pitchers of all times.[7]

  1. ^ a b Francisco Montaner Stadium – Tribute to a Sporting Legend. Puerto Rico.com: Puerto Rico Channel. Accessed 6 February 2018. Archived by the WayBack Machine on 2018-February-07.
  2. ^ a b ¿Qué pasó hoy? Nace el Estadio Paquito Montaner. Noticel. ("La Calle" section) 15 October 2011. Accessed 31 July 2017. Archived by the WayBack Machine on 2017-August-01.
  3. ^ a b Sporting Connections. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  4. ^ Cumple 60 años el "Paquito" Montaner. Archived 29 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine Junior Lugo Marrero. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Vol. 27, No. 1353. 4 November 2009. Page 59. (In Spanish) Retrieved 7 November 2011. Weblink updated 29 March 2018.
  5. ^ Baseball without borders: the international pastime. By George Gmelch. Page 164.
  6. ^ Modular turf system evolves in Puerto Rico. (In & On the Ground). Mark Leslie. SportsTURF. 1 June 2003.
  7. ^ Biographic sheet on Montaner, Francisco "Paquito". Baseball. Museo Francisco Pancho Coimbre. 10 August 2010.