Full name | Club Atlético Pantoja |
---|---|
Founded | 2000 |
Ground |
Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
Capacity | 27,000 |
Coach | Orlando Capellino |
League | Liga Dominicana de Fútbol |
Website | Club home page |
Club Atlético Pantoja is a professional football team based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Founded in 2000, the team is currently playing in the First Division of the Dominican Republic.
Club Atlético Pantoja was born from the passion for football of a group of friends, mostly Argentinian immigrants, led by Eduardo Macchiavello. It all started in 2000, when these friends met at night to share their passion, play football, at the ROWE Laboratory, located in the popular neighborhood of Pantoja in the city of Santo Domingo.
Little by little, this group became more and more, adding Dominican friends and other nationalities. In 2001 they were invited to play a veteran tournament organized by the Dominican Football Federation and at that moment everything changed, that shared passion gave rise to a Club that would make a difference in Dominican football. This is how the Deportivo Pantoja Fútbol Club is born.
To say that the glory accompanies the Pantoja from its foundation are not mere appreciations. This group of friends managed to become the champion of the tournament of veterans, and in celebration of the title was born the idea and the challenge to participate in the Third Dominican Division.
That idea came true months later and, again, this team of friends gave the surprise to crown champion in his first participation in an official match. This championship allowed them to ascend to Second Division, which undoubtedly involved a much greater challenge, but the group relied on the quality and experience of each one of its members and embarked on a new challenge.
To the surprise of many, the newly promoted Pantoja again became champion of the Second Division league, something incredible and extraordinary for a team emerged from the pastime of some friends and made up mostly by veterans. This team had achieved the feat of "champion" three consecutive times, managing to arrive meteorically to the maximum category of soccer of the Dominican Republic, longed for First Division. This group was not yet satisfied, but would propose to reach another milestone, the title of First Division. From then things were taken more seriously and a technical body was hired, in addition to adding young players as reinforcements. The fusion of youth, experience and football passion led the glorious Club to reach the maximum laureate in Dominican football: the Primera División championship.
With a marathon of sporting feats began a story full of achievements and triumphs that has been maintained since that first night of a "picadito de fútbol" to this day. Undoubtedly, that group of friends never imagined that they were founding a Club that in a very short time would become a symbol of good football, positioning itself as one of the most emblematic and winning clubs of the Dominican Republic.