Ato Boldon Stadium
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| Location | Couva, Trinidad and Tobago |
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| Coordinates | 10°25′29″N 61°25′02″W / 10.424717°N 61.417185°W |
| Owner | Government of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Operator | Ministry of Sports |
| Capacity | 10,000[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Builder | Designworks Ltd. |
| Tenants | |
| Central F.C. Club Sando F.C. Trinidad and Tobago national football team | |
The Ato Boldon Stadium is an athletics and football stadium located in Balmain, Couva, Trinidad and Tobago. It is currently the home ground of Central and Club Sando.[2][3]
History
The stadium was constructed for the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship which was hosted by Trinidad and Tobago, and was named for eight-time Olympic and World Championship medal winner and 1997 200m World Champion, sprinter Ato Boldon. It hosted four of the six Group C matches.
It was also used for the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, in which it hosted one match from Group A, one from Group B, four of the Group C matches, one of the quarter-finals and both semi-finals.
The stadium played host to a World Cup qualifier on October 10, 2017, in which Trinidad and Tobago defeated the United States 2–1; this result alongside Panama defeating Costa Rica 2–1 and Honduras defeating Mexico 3–2 sent Panama into the World Cup while simultaneously eliminating the US from qualifying.[4] Prior to the match, the United States complained of inadequate conditions after the track separating the pitch from the stands was flooded, forcing players to be carried across.[5][6]
References
- ^ Ato Boldon Stadium Stadium Database
- ^ Club Sando Soccerway
- ^ Central FC Soccerway
- ^ "United States miss out on World Cup after Trinidad loss". Reuters. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ Nicholas, Stephon (9 October 2017). "Team USA meets 'river' at Ato Boldon Stadium". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin (9 October 2017). "U.S. World Cup hopes will sink or swim in water-logged Trinidad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 January 2018.