From Garden Parish to football’s home

Mount Pleasant Football Academy will usher in a new era on Sunday when they host Tivoli Gardens in their first home match at the Mount Pleasant Stadium, marking the next step in the club’s ambitious plan to establish a football hub on Jamaica’s north coast.

The move ends the club’s stay at Drax Hall, which Mt Pleasant Sporting Director Paul Christie said was always intended to be a temporary arrangement.

Christie also dismissed suggestions that the relocation was prompted by any disagreement with fellow Legend Jamaica Premier League (JPL) club Phoenix Academy Chapelton Maroons or St Ann Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Beckford regarding the use of Drax Hall.

“Let me just make this clear: there has never been an issue between us and any club in Jamaica [about Drax Hall],” Christie said.

“Our property was built maybe 10 years ago, and it has always been the vision to play there. It has always been a phase-based thing, and the moment is here, the time is now,” he continued.

“It is actually a four-phase plan. Some people thought our home was Drax Hall, but it was always at Runaway Bay. We just played at Drax Hall.”

Christie explained that the first phase centred on establishing a permanent base for the club and bringing all operations under one roof.

That phase has now been completed, with the players, technical staff, medical personnel, and training facilities all housed at the Runaway Bay complex.

The club has now entered phase two, which involves establishing the stadium as its home venue for JPL matches.

Christie confirmed that the facility has received the necessary approval to host 3 p.m. kick-offs.

REGIONAL AMBITIONS

The third phase will focus on installing lights to accommodate evening fixtures, while the final phase will bring the venue up to Concacaf standards, allowing it to host regional competitions.

“We are now in phase two of the planning, which is to, basically, have home games here at the JPL level,” Christie said.

“We have the regulation for 3 p.m. kick-offs. That’s phase two, and we’ve done that. We will now move to phase three, which is lighting, in order to move from 3 p.m. games to 7 p.m. games,” he added.

The long-term vision, however, stretches beyond providing the club with a permanent home ground.

Christie said Mt Pleasant wants to attract Concacaf competitions to St Ann, allowing the north coast to become another destination for regional football while showcasing the parish to visiting teams and supporters.

He pointed to the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James as an example of regional football being staged outside Kingston and said Mt Pleasant wants to create similar opportunities in St Ann.

“I think outside of Kingston, there’s only one parish that has actually brought Concacaf to the island, and it would be St James at the Montego Bay Sports Complex,” Christie said.

“What we’re doing at the north coast is to try to bring Concacaf to the people of St Ann. It is so beautiful here in the parish. St Ann is called the ‘Garden Parish’ for a reason,” he added.

“What we are trying to do ultimately is to put Brand Jamaica, as well as the ‘Garden Parish’ aspect of brand Jamaica, on display for not just the rest of Jamaica to see, but the rest of the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the rest of the world to see as well.”

The club’s ambitions are also being supported by a partnership with the Global Institute of Sport (GIS), through which a live sports science and analysis laboratory has been established at the complex.

According to Christie, the facility will allow analysts to assess players and matches in real time, including during live games.

He described the initiative as the first of its kind in the Caribbean and another step towards bringing international football standards to the local game.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com