Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium
JRL La Islandera | |
 Front view of the stadium | |
 | |
| Full name | Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium |
|---|---|
| Address | Route 2, intersection with Route 5 |
| Location | Cerro Gordo, Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| Coordinates | 18°23′36″N 66°09′03″W / 18.393425°N 66.15085°W |
| Owner | Municipio de Bayamón |
| Operator | Municipio de Bayamón |
| Capacity | 22,000 |
| Record attendance | 12,993 – Puerto Rico Islanders vs. LA Galaxy (August 4, 2010) |
| Field size | 105 × 68 m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1972 |
| Built | 1973 |
| Opened | 1974 |
| Renovated | 2003, 2012 |
| Construction cost | Unknown |
| Architect | Thomas Marvel[1] |
| Tenants | |
| Puerto Rico men's national football team Puerto Rico women's national football team Vaqueros de Bayamón (PRBL) (1974–2003) Cangrejeros de Santurce (PRBL) (late 80s) Puerto Rico Islanders (NASL) (2004–2012) Puerto Rico FC (NASL) (2016–present) | |
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel) is a soccer-specific stadium located in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. It is best known as the former home of the Puerto Rico Islanders of the North American Soccer League and current home of the Puerto Rico FC of the North American Soccer League. The stadium can seat up to 22,000 people. It has easy access the metro station known as "Deportivo Station."
History
Created in 1973 as a baseball stadium with a capacity of 12,500, it was home to the Vaqueros de Bayamón up until 2003 when the team became defunct.
La Meca of Puerto Rican Football
In 2003 with the Vaqueros folding, the stadium seemed doomed to be relegated to a youth stadium or to demolition, but late that same year the stadium was reborn and was to be home for another professional club. However, this time it would be as an association football stadium. It had been chosen by the Puerto Rico Islanders as their new home. Its "L" shaped stands were not suited for the sport and it originally had an awkward feel to it since the stand behind the goal angles away from the pitch. This has led most of the fans to prefer to sit in the part of the stands that run parallel to the pitch.
Over the period that it has hosted the sport of soccer it has created an atmosphere that is unique to the stadium and the Islanders.
It has played host to the resurgence of association football in Puerto Rico and has been given the nickname "La Meca" because it has been a key player in the sport's rise to popularity in the island.[2] It is also called "JRL" by fans as an abbreviation of its official name. Another name that has been used for the stadium is "La Islandera" since it was the home of the Islanders.[3]
It was home to Bayamon FC, a professional football team in the Puerto Rico Soccer League now playing in the Bayamon Soccer Complex, And Sevilla Bayamon FC, now called Sevilla-FC Juncos, they moved to Juncos.
It has also played host to the CFU Club Championship Group C in 2006, where the Islanders played but lost to Trinidad and Tobago, W Connection 0-1 and the Puerto Rico MLS-USL Challenge in 2007, and two 2010 World Cup qualifying matches against the Dominican Republic and Honduras.
Renovation in 2012
The renovations to the stadium have been made to upgrade a stadium created for baseball to be soccer-specific. The stadium will also have new dressing rooms and bathrooms and the replacement of some seating. There will also be some temporary bleachers until the addition for new seating is completed later. Lighting has also been adjusted to be more uniform across the field.[4]
The remodeling of the stadium will be done in several stages, with a total cost of $7 million.[5]
A new team, a new home (2015-2017)
In 2015, it was announced home to Puerto Rico FC of the North American Soccer League. The team will begin play in the 2016 North American Soccer League season of Fall season.
Hurricane damage to the stadium (2017)
On September 22, 2017, the stadium was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria, which led to cancellations of the games and forcing Puerto Rico FC to play the next same matches in neutral venues, leaving the stadium with complete uncertainty for future matches until fixes are made.
Events
The first boxing bout between Alfredo Escalera and Alexis Argüello dubbed The Bloody Battle of Bayamon, took place at the stadium on January 28, 1978.
In September 26, 1992 the heavy metal band Iron Maiden played on their Fear of the Dark Tour. First time Iron Maiden visit Puerto Rico.
The popstar Madonna performed a sold out concert at the stadium on October 26, 1993 during The Girlie Show World Tour.
The rock band Aerosmith performed in here on January 28, 1994 during their Get a Grip Tour.
References
- ^ "Juan Ramón Loubriel: deportista y educador". DialogoUPR.com. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ "Reconocen pioneros Islanders" (in Spanish). Municipality of San Juan. 2006-06-19. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel - Bayamón, Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). Puerto Rico Islanders. 2008-08-23. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ^ "First Stage of Renovations for Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium Close to Complete". IM Soccer News. July 26, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- ^ "Remodelacion millonaria - Bayamón, Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). The sport press. 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
- Bayamón FC
- Buildings and structures in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
- Defunct baseball venues in the United States
- Soccer venues in the United States
- Football venues in Puerto Rico
- North American Soccer League stadiums
- Puerto Rico Islanders
- Puerto Rico FC
- Defunct National Premier Soccer League stadiums
- 1974 establishments in Puerto Rico
- Sports venues completed in 1974
- Sports venues in Puerto Rico