Big dream!

Club president presents his vision for Montego Bay United

BY PAUL A REID Observer West writer

Thursday, January 26, 2012

MONTEGO BAY, St James — PLAYING in the Caribbean Football Union's club competition and ultimately the CONCACAF Champions League is one of the short-term goals of Montego Bay United (MBU), says president Orville Powell.

Minutes after watching his team beat favourites Portmore United on penalty kicks in the second end-of-round finals of the Red Stripe Premier League at the Anthony Spaulding Complex on Monday night, Powell said plans for the team extended beyond Jamaica's shores.

To get there however, the promoted MBU must finish in the top two in the RSPL and in an interview with Observer West on Tuesday, Powell fleshed out his ideas.

"We are building a good product here, we have a very serious coach who has proved himself and I think we have a good chance at getting where we want to go, maybe not this season but it is an achievable goal," he said.

Powell conceded that he might be overreaching but said everything must start with a dream. "I am a dreamer and sometimes reality may get in the way of my dreams but that can't stop me having ideas," he said. "This is not just for Montego Bay United but can be used to help market Montego Bay as a sports venue," he added.

Given its proximity to hotels, beaches and attractions as well as a modern stadium, Powell said Montego Bay more than any other area was strategically placed to take advantage of sports marketing possibilities.

When asked about the high cost of taking part in the CFU and CONCACAF competitions which do not offer prize monies, Powell said the pros far outweigh the cons.

"This is a wonderful means to expose our players who could pick up contracts," he pointed out, adding that while he was new to the entire thing, if they qualified, they would be exploring partnerships to see how best they can keep their costs down.

On Tuesday, he was still at a loss to express his emotions on the team's win the previous night as MBU became the first western club to win an end of round final following attempts by Village United and Seba United, the forerunner of MBU.

"We want to win every trophy available," Powell told Observer West, "We want to be able to beat our chests at the Kingston clubs."

To this end he said MBU would be seeking to strengthen the squad. Already, he said, several players with roots in the region who are representing other teams had approached him with an eye to joining the MoBay club.

"I have for a long time accused many of our players who have left the region and gone to play else where; I tell them point blank they have deserted the region and helped in the standard dropping," he said.

He claimed the success of MBU will reverse the trek from the region and could cause a ripple effect with other western teams like Reno FC and Village United also benefiting.

MBU's win on Monday extended their unbeaten run to 13 games but when the third round starts on Sunday they will still be ranked at number seven in the points' tables on 31. They will be seeking their first win over defending champions Tivoli Gardens this season.