JPL club looks for return to Montego Bay Sports Complex
TUCKER, St James — The new ownership of Montego Bay United has served warning that they intend to return to the Montego Bay Sports Complex as their home ground for the upcoming season of the Jamaica Premier League.
Montego Bay United, who open their 2023-24 Jamaica Premier League season at Drax Hall on Sunday, had played home games at the facility in 2011, their first season back in the competition after changing their name from Seba United, but moved to the present home at Wespow Park soon afterwards.
At last week’s ceremony to officially hand over the club to a team headed by Montego Bay businessman Yoni Epstein, it was learnt that the new owners were targeting the 7,000-seater stadium to play home games.
“While Wespow Park is a first-class facility and one where we will start our matches, our aim as a team and as an organisation is we want to take over the Catherine Hall multipurpose stadium,” Epstein said in his address.
“That is one that we believe should be the home of Montego Bay United Football Club. That stadium has 7,000 seats.”
Epstein argued that “there is no reason why that stadium should not be full every 13 home matches that we have as a club as well as other international matches and other types of sports”.
“I’m not going to get into the politics of Catherine Hall, but I will state that we have our eyes on it and that is what is to be the home of Montego Bay United Football Club,” Epstein added.
He later told the Jamaica Observer West that the club is yet to officially approach the St James Municipal Corporation, the operators of the facility.
“We have been speaking to a few people at the parish council [but] we have not spoken to heads of the management of the parish council; there has not been a public intent,” he said, adding that when there was one he would like it to be favourably accepted.