Estadio Francisco Montaner

The Estadio Francisco Montaner 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 and FC Leones of the Puerto Rico Soccer League . The stadium has a capacity of 16,000 seats. Construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it opened on 15 October 1949. Montaner has the distinction of being the first stadium in Puerto Rico that installed an artificial surface field. The stadium lies next to the Juan Pachín Vicéns Auditorium, where the Ponce Lions hold their games. The Stadium was named to honor Francisco "Paquito" Montaner, one of the greatest Puerto Rican pitchers of all times.
While baseball had been practiced in the city prior to this, baseball in Ponce started in earnest upon the arrival of the Americans to the island after the Spanish–American War of 1898. The first non-professional baseball leagues played at Campo Atlético Charles H. Terry. However, after the formation of the Liga de Béisbol Semiprofesional de Puerto Rico in 1938, the sport had mature enough that it became necessary to plan on building a new stadium. This need was further exacerbated on 14 September 1941 when the League became a professional-level league. Construction of the stadium began in 1947 and it opened two years later on October 15, 1949. In addition to baseball, the stadium had other uses. In particular, it was also used for basketball games. These were played on a convertible basketball court that was stowed away when the basket games were over.

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