Chapelton make Drax Hall home

Craig Butler, CEO of the Phoenix Academy Group, has confirmed that Phoenix Chapelton Maroons will play their home matches during the 2026-27 Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season at the Drax Hall Sports Complex in St Ann.

Chapelton Maroons were left without a home venue ahead of the new season following Cavalier’s acquisition of Turners Oval earlier this year.

Butler said that, after discussions, the decision was made to relocate the club to St Ann, where the Phoenix Academy Group has maintained ties for more than a decade.

As part of the move, Chapelton Maroons have also registered with the St Ann Football Association (SAFA), ending their long-standing affiliation with Clarendon.

The club will share the Drax Hall Sports Complex with Mount Pleasant Football Academy.

“Phoenix has been an affiliate of the St Ann Football Association for the last 13 years,” Butler said.

“We feel very comfortable with them and we believe that they are the right place to be at this time. Danny Beckford, the [St Ann FA] president, has been a force and a powerful leader in Jamaican football, and he’s always been a friend and extremely supportive to us and what we’re about.”

Butler said the move to St Ann was also influenced by his desire to avoid clashes with Rudolph Speid, head coach of Cavalier.

The two have shared a long and often contentious history, with one of the latest developments in their rivalry being a defamation lawsuit filed by Speid against Butler last year.

The Phoenix boss said that with Cavalier moving to Turners Oval, he had no desire to remain in Clarendon.

“We did not want to move at all, but we have no home ground in Clarendon. Rudolph Speid [Cavalier] has bought our home ground. I do not want to have to be in the same room, much less the same community as Speid, so I’m going to remove my team.”

LOCAL COMMUNITY

While Butler is looking forward to the new season in a new home, he admitted it was a difficult decision to move the team away from its community roots.

Chapelton Maroons have served as the leading football club in the Turners community since their inception in 1980, less than five kilometres from the town of Chapelton, from which the club takes its name.

In their early years, the Maroons competed in the Clarendon FA Major League before climbing through the ranks and making their JPL debut in the 2022-23 season.

Now entering their fourth season in the top flight, the club will be separated from its long-time fan base. However, Butler believes it can successfully establish itself in St Ann.

“It is really sad, because we really love the Clarendon community,” he said. “But if we have no home ground in Clarendon, it is necessary to seek out and have somewhere where the club is safe, the players are safe, and the vibe and the football part of the relationship is safe.”

OPEN ARMS

Chapelton Maroons’ move to St Ann has been welcomed by SAFA President Danny Beckford.

Beckford said Phoenix’s long-standing association with the parish made the decision an easy one.

“Phoenix should have been in St Ann years ago. Finally, the chickens have come home to roost,” Beckford said.

“Chapelton are a Premier League club and I think they’ve had some problems in Clarendon. We’ve granted the permission for them to be affiliated with St Ann so they can play their games at Drax Hall.”

Beckford said the move will also ensure that football fans in the parish can enjoy top-tier football on a regular basis.

He believes Chapelton Maroons will further enhance the profile of football in St Ann, where Mount Pleasant have set the standard in recent years.

“It is good when somebody has vintage wine every week,” he said.

“The fans, over the years, have really been enthused about football. The people of St Ann have always rallied behind Mount Pleasant. I think the value for money is here.”

The JPL season will begin on August 23, with Chapelton Maroons scheduled to travel to Montego Bay United for their opening match.

Their first home fixture is set for August 30 against Molynes United at the Drax Hall Sports Complex.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com