Charlton Athletic recently welcomed the Mount Pleasant Academy to England as part of the partnership between the two clubs.
The players arrived on Monday and quickly enjoyed their first training session at Sparrows Lane, before taking on Charlton's U16s at The Valley the following day. Mount Pleasant's youngsters also played a fixture at the club's training ground and attended the men's first-team's fixture against Stockport County last weekend, showcasing their skills in the club's Fan Zone on the Tussle pitch.
The 'Mountain to Valley Partnership’ was established with the long-term aim of further improving the quantity of elite players graduating from the Addicks' esteemed academy.
Mount Pleasant Academy midfielder Owen Jumpp said: “It’s been a good week in England, coming with the partnership with Charlton.
“It’s super exciting, it’s a good experience for me. Back in Jamaica, it’s not as nice during games so it’s a good experience, for sure.
‘It’s very inspiring to see what it’s like as a professional for Charlton - it inspires me and a lot of my teammates.”
The partnership is a highly beneficial one not just for the football, but for the factors outside of it too, says Mount Pleasant coach Courtney Headlam: “This is the first time that this group has played outside the country together and to experience a different climatic condition. It’s been good for them, the experience is tremendous.
“The partnership between Mount Pleasant and Charlton has been fantastic, and part of it bearing fruit is seeing our kids also coming here to England. This is also a part of it, and we saw them in the summer - Charlton’s U21s are a really good team!”
The trip from the Caribbean was made all the sweeter with the Mount Pleasant players having the opportunity to meet up with Charlton’s Jamaican internationals Karoy Anderson and Kaheim Dixon.
Anderson said: “It’s been a good opportunity to see some of them and for them to see the training ground and The Valley. I think it’s going to be a trip that they remember, so I’m glad they got that experience.
“It’s always good to try and influence the younger players in a good and positive way, and to see them be happy when they see us feels really good!”
Paul Elliott CBE MBE, Charlton Board’s lead for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), added: “It’s been a great week for them. They’ve enjoyed the wonderful opportunity of playing here at The Valley, they’ve also had a friendly match at the training ground and they’ve had some visits across London, so I think all in all it’s a wonderful integration and opportunity for the younger players.
“They’ve got a huge talent pool and, as we know, we’ve got a very ethnically diverse local community, and that diversity is reflected on the field.
“I come from that part of Jamaica, with west Indian heritage, and the pipeline and that talent is there. So this partnership is a really important one to develop, enhance and mobilise that relationship between Charlton Athletic and Mount Pleasant Academy.”
For more information on the partnership, which was announced in January 2024, please click here.
