MOUNT Pleasant Football Academy are viewed as the “rich club” in local football due to their heavy spending over the years. However, Sporting Director Paul Christie isn’t fond of the tag due to their many challenges, but insists they’re willing to endure to help make Jamaica a great football nation.

Since 2016, under the ownership of English businessman Peter Gould, Mount Pleasant have made significant investments in the club, which has ultimately led them to the Concacaf Caribbean Cup and Jamaica Premier League titles.

Along with spending tens of millions in transfers and hiring technical staff, the club became the first in the Caribbean to build a multi-million-dollar football academy in St Ann for hundreds of young players. They’ve also formed a partnership with English Division Two club Charlton Athletic, and recently acquired an ownership stake in Belgian third division outfit R.A.E.C. Mons.

Many of these moves have made them the envy of other top clubs across the island, with some stakeholders and fans calling it “unfair”.

However, Christie told the Jamaica Observer that the widespread perception of Mount Pleasant is wrong and is affecting the growth of football on the island.

“It’s easy to sit in the stands and sit on the sidelines and say Mount Pleasant is cash-rich or cash whatever — that’s so far from the truth,” he said. “The truth of the matter is there is one person [Gould] who truly believes in ‘Product Jamaica’ and ‘Project Jamaica’, and he’s from a place where he would have seen it with his own eyes that there can be change — and he’s committed to change.

“Instead of us pulling together and trying to raise the quality of the product, we pull in all different directions. The only thing that is affected is the product, in an adverse way. That’s just the truth.”

Christie says the club hasn’t gotten adequate support from the various sectors, which has prevented them from doing more. Regardless, he believes the work they’re doing is making a significant impact, not just on sports but the region on a whole.

“The team at Mount Pleasant, led by the leadership of Mr Peter Gould, we know that what we are doing in this region is unprecedented. It will take a lot of time and resources, both human and financial and otherwise, emotional support and all of that,” he said. “Truth of the matter, the support is lacking; no support is here. Notwithstanding, we don’t make an excuse. We just go ahead, do the best that we can, and live with the result.

“What is happening at Mount Pleasant is affecting a lot of lives and livelihoods. We are trying to change football and make it not just a pastime but actually a business, because it is what is the most lucrative business of any sport globally — that is a statement of fact. However, people in this region don’t see it as a business. It’s like a pastime, so to change the mindset and the culture of how people see football in this region, to make it a fully professional outing that people understand that they are at work, the culture is difficult to change but we are committed to changing that, and that’s what we are about right now.”

On the pitch, Mount Pleasant are gearing up for the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 in March but have also had an increased workload in the Premier League due to their participation in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, which has seen them play 12 games in the space of two months.

But Christie says it’s the price they have to pay in their quest for regional success.

“You can’t have your cake and eat it at the same time; it doesn’t work like that,” he said. Would we rather just be playing the Premier League and stick to the 39-game schedule or do we feel privileged to be in a position to raise the level of football in Jamaica and the Caribbean forever? I would take the latter any time.

“It’s not unique to Mount Pleasant, it’s not unique to Jamaica. In Europe, you have the Carabao Cup, you have the FA Cup, you have the Champions League, and you have the league — so it happens. This is the life of football, this is what we need to get used to. This is how we build a football culture. You see a heavy workload but we see that we are trying to get to where we need to be. That is the harsh reality at football level. It’s two games, sometimes three games per week, so I’m not going to sit here and talk about workload. This is what we asked for, our job is to deal with it,” he said.

CHRISTIE…it’s easy to sit in the stands and sit on the sidelines and say Mount Pleasant is cash-rich or cash whatever — that’s so far from the truth .

Mount Pleasant FA players hoist the trophy after being crowned Concacaf Caribbean Cup champions on December 2, 2025 following a 2-2 draw with O&M FC on the night, but winning 3-2 on aggregate at the National Stadium. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

Mount Pleasant’s Daniel Green (left) challenges Cavalier’sDwayne Allen during a recent Jamaica Premier League contest at the National Stadium. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)