On a spring day in 2008, the roar of a crowd echoed through Olympic Park. It wasn’t for the Olympic Stadium. It was for the brand-new Saputo Stadium. This was a dream come true for CF Montréal, formerly the Montreal Impact. They finally had a home of their own. Saputo Stadium, nestled in the heart of Olympic Park, cost $17 million to build. The Saputo family generously donated $7.5 million, and the rest was financed over 25 years. The stadium initially held 13,034 fans and featured a pristine natural grass field.
The move to Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2012 meant a bigger stage and bigger needs. Saputo Stadium underwent a massive expansion. Broccolini, the construction company, took on the challenge. They added seating for over 20,000 fans, 21 corporate boxes, a partial roof, and innovative bleachers. The expansion also included a FIFA 2-Star synthetic field, the first of its kind in Quebec. This was not just for CF Montréal but for the community and even the UQAM Citadins soccer team. The whole project cost an additional $23 million, funded by the Quebec government. It was quite a feat to expand the stadium while preserving the sightlines between the Olympic Village and the Olympic Stadium. This urban planning rule had been established during the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
The construction itself was a marvel. Over 1,150 tons of steel and 4,000 cubic meters of concrete transformed Saputo Stadium. The team had to continue playing while renovations took place, making the construction timeline even tighter. Despite these difficulties, Broccolini finished the project in June 2012, just in time for the team’s triumphant return. The first MLS game at the expanded Saputo Stadium was a memorable 4-1 victory against the Seattle Sounders FC. It was a fitting debut for the “new” stadium and a testament to the vision and collaboration that built it. Joey Saputo’s dream of a soccer-specific stadium, built in partnership with Broccolini, became a symbol of sporting excellence in Montreal. As you stand before Saputo Stadium, you can almost hear the echoes of those cheering fans, celebrating not just a game, but the realization of a dream.