Northcoast trouble brews

Trouble is brewing in St Ann football circles, with Mount Pleasant Academy and the St Ann Football Association at loggerheads over the club’s future home ground following the arrival of Chapelton Maroons at the Drax Hall Sports Complex.

The tension centres on the Drax Hall facility, which Mount Pleasant have used since gaining promotion to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) in 2018 and in which they have invested millions of dollars in upgrades over the years.

With Chapelton now set to use the complex as their home venue as well, questions have arisen about how future costs will be shared.

The disagreement prompted the 2023 Premier League champions to request that their first-round home fixtures be reversed until a solution regarding their home venue is found.

Mount Pleasant’s fixture against Racing United on Sunday was played at Ferdi Neita Park, while Chapelton hosted their match at Drax Hall.

St Ann FA President Danny Beckford explained to The Gleaner that the dispute stemmed from a meeting involving officials from both clubs at Mount Pleasant that ended without resolution.

“...Certain things start to iron out, so and so on, what is expected, and anything to do with upgrade at the place, both teams would split that costing,” Beckford told The Gleaner, adding that Chapelton owner Craig Butler had advocated for multiple quotations to be obtained for any improvement works.

“What Mr Butler was insisting is that ... some quotations that you carry, common sense says you try get two or three quotations and you going to choose the best one and move forward,” the St Ann FA boss explained.

Beckford added that he was uncertain about Mount Pleasant’s current position with the association, but maintained that Drax Hall remains the club’s home ground unless informed otherwise.

“Until they officially say, no, they’re not coming back here for whatever reason, I don’t have a problem with that. They have been here for years ... we have been with them when they won Premier League and when they won Caribbean Cup,” Beckford reasoned.

According to The Gleaner sources, Mount Pleasant are actively upgrading their Runaway Bay facility, which could eventually host both Premier League matches and CONCACAF Caribbean Cup fixtures. However, The Gleaner has not received official confirmation from the club’s management.

Free to go anywhere

In the meantime, Beckford said he would not stand in the club’s way should it choose to relocate, but he was firm regarding the association’s authority in the parish.

“They are free to go anywhere else, Trelawny, Kingston, St Catherine; they want to do that, we are not stopping them ... but there are circumstances that football administration have to follow,” Beckford said.

“...first and foremost, I am the boss here; you are an affiliate. If it was up to a lot of people in that Mount Pleasant now, they would’ve take away the lease agreement (for Drax Hall) that we have, but thankfully, we stand up and we know what we want,” a strident Beckford told The Gleaner.

Meanwhile, Chapelton Maroons owner and technical director Craig Butler told The Gleaner that the club has no intention of leaving Drax Hall, describing the move to St Ann as a homecoming rather than a relocation.

“This is not our new home. We’ve been here for 15 years ... we’re happy to bring the Premier League team here,” Butler told The Gleaner, adding that the club’s continued use of the ‘Phoenix CM [Chapelton Maroon] FC’ name reflects its roots in both Chapelton and the Maroons community.

“The love and the warmth that people like Danny Beckford and his team have shown us is unbelievable, so we’re just happy to be home,” Butler added.

Chapelton currently sit on three points after two matches, while Mount Pleasant remain without a point. Based on the latest JPL schedule, Mount Pleasant are not listed to play another home fixture until November 8.

brian.lewis@rjrgleaner.com