Mount Pleasant Football Academy Sporting Director Paul Christie says the club’s acquisition of a majority stake in Belgian third division side RAEC Mons will not only provide opportunities for players from the St Ann-based outfit, but also for footballers across Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

“At the Mount Pleasant Football Academy we truly believe in creating leaders of the Caribbean, and this is our mandate,” Christie says. “Even at our academy and at the club level we try to facilitate partnerships with not just Jamaican clubs but also with the Caribbean.”

Christie says the academy has long been focused on building pathways for Caribbean players to reach Europe and that the investment in RAEC Mons is a direct reflection of that mission.

“Our mandate is to create future leaders of the Caribbean,” he says. “We know that Caribbean players are aiming and striving to get into Europe. This outcome is to have not only players from Mount Pleasant, but from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, in their journey. That is what we are all about. So this is a testament to our mandate at the Mount Pleasant Football Academy.

“They are in the third division, so what we are trying to do is to get a realistic outcome for Jamaican players, not just Jamaicans, but players from the Caribbean. We are aware how difficult it is for Caribbean talent to get an outcome in Europe. So it is a holistic approach and we truly believe that there is talent.

“What is lacking is an outcome, and we are committed to that outcome — to have a holistic approach to the business of football so that some of the future leaders of the Caribbean can have an opportunity to make it to the next level.”

This latest international venture follows the signing of a partnership between Mount Pleasant and English Football League Championship club Charlton Athletic last year.

Professional Football Jamaica Chief Executive Officer Owen Hill also welcomed the move, describing it as a strategic step towards strengthening the country’s football development framework.

“I am excited about the possibilities of this new move,” Hill says. “We definitely know that it is important for the growth of football in the country to have extensions of talent pipelines, because when you look at potential opportunities of having linkage in Europe, what it means is that the talent would be able to be displayed on the show in other parts of the world that would give us better opportunities.

“It would give us eyes on the league, and the players will now get an additional pipeline, so I think it is a massive move. It also shows the seriousness of intent from the owners and operators of the Mount Pleasant Football Academy. So we are just looking forward to any talent development and commercial opportunities that can come from this partnership.”

CHRISTIE…this outcome is to have not only players from Mount Pleasant, but from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, in their journey

HILL…it would give us eyes on the league, and the players will now get an additional pipeline, so I think it is a massive move