Municipal Grecia
Municipal Grecia is an association football club based in Grecia, Costa Rica. Founded in 1998, the club will make their debut in the Liga FPD after being promoted from the Liga de Ascenso.
| Nickname(s) | La Pantera (The Panther) Los Griegos (The Greeks) | ||
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| Founded | August 16, 1998 | ||
| Stadium | Estadio Allen Riggioni | ||
| Capacity | 4,000 | ||
| Chairman | Elías Arturo González Molina | ||
| Manager | Pablo Izaguirre | ||
| League | Liga Promerica | ||
| Clausura 2023 | 12° | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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The team plays in the Estadio Allen Riggioni.
History
In 1998, the people from Grecia, led by former deputy Everardo Rodríguez, decided to give the people of the canton a new sports option. Feeling the need of having an own football club which competed in a non-amateur level. Having taken over the franchise of American FC, the club was founded on 16 August 1998. The club made its debut on 13 September 1998 by drawing 2–2 with Puriscal FC.[1]
During its first decade, the team won the 2007 Apertura Championship in the Costa Rican Liga de Ascenso.[1] On mid-2017 the club, managed by former Saprissa and Costa Rica captain Walter Centeno, defeated Jicaral to win the 2017 Clausura tournament, thus qualifying to a promotion play-off.[2] Grecia would defeat Jicaral again to achieve the promotion to the Liga FPD for the first time.[3]
Current squad
As of August 9, 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Stadium
The Allen Riggioni Suárez Municipal Stadium is a sports stadium located in the city of Grecia, Alajuela, Costa Rica. It was inaugurated in 1973 and in 2012 it received several important renovations in its infrastructure. The stadium is home to Municipal Grecia, which is in the First Division of Costa Rica. It has capacity for 4,000 fans, athletic track, natural grass and artificial lighting. Its bleachers are light blue and it counts them for three sectors of the stadium.
Several Second Division finals have been played in this venue, most of which have been won by the local club. It is known as The Panther's Lair because the mascot of the local team (Municipal Grecia) is a Panther. The stadium has also been the alternate venue for the Carmelite Sports Association, in some of its local matches in the First Division.
Situation with the land where the Stadium is located In the municipal administration, period 2010-2016, a problem was unleashed about the place that, for years, the stadium of the city of Greece has occupied. It is recorded in the minutes that the land was acquired and according to reports from the Municipality of Greece the debt was paid in full in 1976, but the land has not been registered in its name for 44 years.
After the death of Mr. Bolaños (previous owner), when the Municipality of Grecia tried to register the land, the succession argued that there was a difference of 5,000 meters of land that should be cancelled.
Honours
- Liga de Ascenso
- Overall champions: 2016–17
- Half-season champions: Apertura 2007, Clausura 2017
References
- "Historia | Municipal Grecia". municipalgrecia.com (in European Spanish). Municipal Grecia. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- Ramírez, Wender (14 May 2017). "Grecia amarga la fiesta de Jicaral y peleará por el Ascenso en dos juegos más". MarioSegura.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- Araya, José Fernando (28 May 2017). "Grecia golea 3-0 a Jicaral y es el nuevo inquilino de la Primera División". Teletica (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 June 2017.