View source for Percival Molson Memorial Stadium

{{Short description|Stadium situated on the campus of McGill University in Montreal}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Percival Molson Memorial Stadium<br />''Stade Percival-Molson''
| former_names = 
| logo_image = Mcgill university coa.png
| logo_size = 50
| image = Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, Quebec.jpg
| imagesize = 
| caption = The stadium in 2024
| address = 475, avenue des Pins<br />[[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada<br />H2W 1S4
| coordinates = {{Coord|45|30|36.3|N|73|34|50.4|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Canada Montreal#Canada Southern Quebec#Quebec#Canada
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in [[Montreal]]##Location in [[List of regions of Quebec|Southern Quebec]]##Location in [[Quebec]]##Location in [[Canada]]
| pushpin_label = Percival Molson Memorial Stadium
| pushpin_mapsize = 250
| opened = 22 October 1915
| publictransit = {{rint|montreal|metro|}} '''[[Montreal Metro]]''': <br> {{rint|montreal|metro|1}} [[McGill station|McGill]] <br> {{rint|montreal|metro|1}} [[Place-des-Arts station|Place-Des-Arts]]
| surface = [[FieldTurf]] (2004–present)<br />[[Astroturf]] (1976–2003)<br />Grass (1919–1975)
| owner = [[McGill University]]
| capacity = 23,035<ref>{{cite web | title=Percival Molson 'great stadium' but Alouettes should 'certainly' consider new venue: Pierre Karl Péladeau | date=21 June 2024 | url=https://3downnation.com/2024/06/21/percival-molson-great-stadium-but-alouettes-should-certainly-consider-new-venue-pierre-karl-peladeau/ }}</ref>
| construction_cost = {{dollarsign|CAD}}100,000 (approx.)<br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|CA|100000|1919}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}})<br />Renovations: $29.4 million<br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|CA|29400000|2010}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}})<br />Total cost:<br />$31.4 million in 2012 dollars
| tenants = [[McGill Redbirds and Martlets|McGill Redbirds and McGill Martlets]] ([[U Sports]]) (1915–present)<br />[[Montreal Alouettes]] ([[Canadian Football League|CFL]]) (1947–1967, 1972, 1998–present)<br />[[Montreal Royal (AUDL)|Montreal Royal]] ([[American Ultimate Disc League|AUDL]]) (2014–2015)
| architect = [[Percy Erskine Nobbs]]
| seating_capacity = 
| website = {{url|https://mcgillathletics.ca/sports/2012/11/5/1105124126.aspx|mcgillathletics.ca/stadium}}
}}
'''Percival Molson Memorial Stadium''' (also known in [[French language|French]] as '''''Stade Percival-Molson'''''; commonly referred to as '''Molson Stadium''' in English or '''Stade Molson''' in French) is an outdoor [[Canadian football|football]] and [[multi-purpose stadium]] in [[Downtown Montreal]], Quebec, Canada, on the slopes of [[Mount Royal]], in the borough of [[Ville-Marie, Montreal|Ville-Marie]].  Named in honour of [[Percival Molson]], and owned by [[McGill University]], it was the home of the [[Montreal Alouettes]] of the [[Canadian Football League]] from 1954 to 1967 and again since 1998. The stadium is also home to the [[McGill Redbirds and Martlets]] of the [[RSEQ]], the [[Montreal Royal (AUDL)|Montreal Royal]] of the [[American Ultimate Disc League]], the [[Selwyn House School|Selwyn House Gryphons]] high-school football team<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/2018/11/02/alouettes-announce-new-stadium-plans-2019/|title=Alouettes announce new stadium plans for 2019|date=2 November 2018}}</ref> and the Canadian Corporate Soccer League, the largest amateur corporate league in Canada.

==History==
[[File:Molson stadium 1915.jpg|thumb|left|The stadium in 1915]]
Constructed in 1914 at the corner of University and Pine (avenue Des Pins), the stadium sat dormant through [[World War I]] with the cessation of football from 1914 to 1918. On July 5, 1917, Captain [[Percival Molson]] (1880&ndash;1917), great-grandson of brewer [[John Molson]] and a [[McGill University]] alumnus and sports star who had been instrumental in getting the stadium plan approved, was killed in action in [[France]]. His will left $75,000 to the university to help pay most of the total costs for the completion of the stadium. [[William C. Macdonald]] and [[John Wilson McConnell|John W. McConnell]] also donated money to help build and renovate the stadium. Designed by [[Percy Erskine Nobbs]],<ref>[http://cac.mcgill.ca/campus/buildings/Gym.html ''Virtual McGill'']</ref> the stadium was officially dedicated as "McGill Graduates' Stadium" at an intercollegiate track meet on October 22, 1915. It was renamed "Percival Molson Memorial Stadium" on October 25, 1919 by the university's Board of Governors, in his honour.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}} As of 1970, Molson Stadium and [[Ivor Wynne Stadium]] were the only two [[Canadian Football League]] stadiums named for people known for amateur sport.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wynne, Molson stadiums are only two to honor amateurs|date=December 14, 1970|newspaper=[[The Hamilton Spectator]]|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-hamilton-spectator-wynne-1970/182223028/}}</ref>

[[File:Football. Montreal Indians VS Hamilton BAnQ P48S1P01342.jpg|thumb|left|Montreal Indians vs Hamilton, 1937]]
The Montreal Alouettes played at the stadium from 1954 to 1967 before moving to the [[Autostade]]. An attempted return to the Molson Stadium in 1972 was not successful and the team went back to the Autostade the following season. When the revived Alouettes franchise was forced to move a 1997 playoff game out of [[Olympic Stadium (Montreal)|Olympic Stadium]] due to a [[U2]] concert scheduled for the day of the game, they played the game at Molson Stadium before a sellout crowd, prompting the Als to make it their primary home again the following season. However, all playoff games were played at Olympic Stadium until 2015.

[[File:Montreal Alouettes vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats,  July 6 2006.jpg|thumb|left|[[Montreal Alouettes]] [[cheerleader]]s entertain the crowd during a timeout in a game against the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] on July 6, 2006, at Molson Stadium]]
The only [[Grey Cup]] game played at Molson Stadium was in [[19th Grey Cup|1931]], which was the first time the Grey Cup was contested outside of Ontario. It also served as a venue for [[Field hockey at the 1976 Summer Olympics|field hockey]], during the [[1976 Summer Olympics]].<ref>[http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1976/1976v2.pdf 1976 Summer Olympics official report.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506012124/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1976/1976v2.pdf |date=2010-05-06 }} Volume 2. pp. 150-5.</ref> It seated 20,202 and had been sold out for Alouettes games from August 12, 1999 until 2009.<ref>[http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article/the_cfl_publishes_the_2008_schedule The CFL Publishes The 2008 Schedule | Montreal Alouettes<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304214200/http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article/the_cfl_publishes_the_2008_schedule |date=2012-03-04 }}</ref>  A renovation project begun in 2009 increased capacity from 20,202 to over 25,000 before seats were removed in 2014 to reduce capacity to 23,420.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/football/cfl/montreal-alouettes/sold-out-molson-stadium-crowd-to-see-if-jacques-chapdelaine-can-turn-alouettes-around|title=Sold-out Molson Stadium crowd to see if Jacques Chapdelaine can turn Alouettes around|last=Zurkowsky|first=Herb|work=[[Montreal Gazette]]|date=October 1, 2016|access-date=August 11, 2017}}</ref>  The seating capacity was lowered to 20,025 following a reconfiguration prior to the 2019 season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/football/cfl/montreal-alouettes/jack-todd-shrinking-stadium-puts-alouettes-back-where-they-started | title=Jack Todd: Shrinking stadium puts Alouettes back where they started }}</ref>

The Alouettes' decision to return to the venue was problematic because the team was being sponsored by the [[Labatt Brewing Company]] and the stadium shared the name of its major competitor, [[Molson Brewery|Molson]], though not named for it. Eventually, the team chose to change sponsors and have been sponsored by Budweiser since 2014. In 2004, The Alouettes installed a [[FieldTurf]] surface at Molson Stadium replacing the old-style [[AstroTurf|Astroturf]].

==Renovation==
[[File:Percival Molson Memorial Stadium - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|View of the stadium with the [[The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital|Montreal Neurological Institute]] around one end]]
Molson Stadium has been renovated and expanded, adding nearly 5,000 seats in time for the [[2010 CFL season]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.montrealkiosk.com/the-montrealer.php |title=The Montrealer - Montreal Newspapers<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2012-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126005350/http://www.montrealkiosk.com/the-montrealer.php |archive-date=2011-11-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The project to see the smallest CFL stadium increase to a [[seating capacity]] of 25,012 cost $29.4 million.<ref name="bare_url">{{Cite web |url=http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article/visiting-the-new-home |title=Visiting the Alouettes' new home {{!}} Montreal Alouettes<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2011-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528140555/http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article/visiting-the-new-home |archive-date=2012-05-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

Eleven rows were removed from the south side of the stadium to construct a second tier and add the majority of the new seats, about 3,800. Also, temporary bleachers in the east end-zone were replaced with 1,500 permanent seats, a new section was added to the northeast corner, and 19 new private suites were constructed. The cost of the renovations were shared by the [[Quebec]] government ($19.3 million), the city of Montreal ($4 million), and [[Robert Wetenhall]], the Alouettes' owner ($6,023,935).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/Sports/Expansion+Montreal+Molson+Stadium+approved/1367728/story.html|title=Expansion of Montreal's Molson Stadium approved|last=Zurkowsky|first=Herb|publisher=Montreal Gazette|date=March 8, 2009|access-date=March 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/molson-stadium-to-begin-29-4m-expansion-1.842309|title=Molson Stadium to begin $29.4M expansion|publisher=CBC News|date=March 9, 2009|access-date=March 10, 2009}}</ref><ref name="bare_url_a">[http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article/percival-molson-stadium_47113 Expansion Project Approved | Montreal Alouettes<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810033034/http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article/percival-molson-stadium_47113 |date=2011-08-10 }}</ref>

==Layout==
Because the playing surface is surrounded by a running track, the full 65-yard width and 20-yard length of the end zones is not available at the two end lines. However, the full width is available for more than half of each end zone, with the only missing pieces being the relatively small bits off the corners. Since the [[2014 CFL season]], it is the only stadium in the CFL to cut the corners on the end zones after Edmonton's [[Commonwealth Stadium]] was able to square off its end zones after removal of the running track.

==See also==
*[[List of Canadian Football League stadiums]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons cat}}
* {{official website}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100801090741/http://en.montrealalouettes.com/video/index/id/10431 Percival Molson Stadium under construction]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120528140703/http://en.montrealalouettes.com/video/index/id/12697/ Welcome to the brand new stadium!]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101106204831/http://en.montrealalouettes.com/video/index/id/14143 Alouettes luxury boxes available!]

{{1976 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{Olympic venues field hockey}}
{{McGill}}
{{Montreal Alouettes}}
{{CFL Stadiums}}
{{Grey Cup}}

[[Category:Canadian Football League venues]]
[[Category:Soccer venues in Montreal]]
[[Category:McGill Redbirds football]]
[[Category:Molson family]]
[[Category:Montreal Alouettes]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Montreal]]
[[Category:Venues of the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic field hockey venues]]
[[Category:Mount Royal]]
[[Category:McGill University buildings]]
[[Category:College football venues in Canada]]
[[Category:Percy Erskine Nobbs buildings]]
[[Category:Ultimate (sport) venues]]
[[Category:1915 establishments in Quebec]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1915]]
[[Category:Canadian football venues in Quebec]]