F.C. Montreal to Join the USL-Pro:
Today the Montreal Impact announced a dynamic development plan that renews commitment to the Montreal Impact Academy program and solidifies the future of the club. Team President Joey Saputo announced that there would be a new USL-Pro team in Montreal known as F.C. Montreal. This new team will be primarily made up of players from the current U-23 and U-18 Academy teams. The creation of F.C. Montreal will help facilitate the flow of players between the Academy program and the Montreal Impact first team, without having to loan players out as frequently. The new team will start play in 2015 and use Stade Saputo as their home stadium. Saputo also announced today F.C. Montreal games would be free of charge to fans wanting to support the new club. The Academy has been the at the core of long term planning at the club. The Impact have prioritized investment in homegrown players as opposed to building through the MLS Superdraft. Today’s announcement is yet another step in this direction and demonstrates the long term commitment Joey Saputo has made to the fans of the Montreal Impact.
New Training Facility Announced:
During the press conference Joey Saputo made a number of other announcements including a $10 million investment in a new training facility at Caserne Letourneux in the east end of Montreal. The facility would be located in proximity to Stade Saputo and would house four fields (2 natural and 2 synthetic) for for the first team and the Academy. Not only will this be a fantastic training space that will benefit the Montreal Impact but it will also be a boon for the production of future team Canada players. This new facility should help attract new talent as well as help retain current players.
Front Office Re-Design:
The last major announcement that was made at the press conference today was the announcement of some new faces in the front office. Joey Saputo announced that Marc Bourassa would be the new Chief Revenue Officer, Hugues Léger would be the new Chief Marketing Officer, and André Côté as the new Chief Strategic Officer. These new additions to the management of the club will help continue to grow the club and promote the bleu-blanc-noir. On a final note, the Impact have made former Sporting Director Nick De Santis the new Director of International Business. This role will allow De Santis to continue to build relationships with clubs and players overseas. It should come as no shock to those who know the Montreal Impact that De Santis would be reintegrated back into the club after his “firing” back in July.
Future is Bright:
All of these announcements are coming after a very disappointing season to date for the Montreal Impact. As reaffirmed by today’s press conference, Joey Saputo sees the Montreal Impact as a long term project and remains extremely committed to the club and fans. Not only will all of these announcements today solidify the Impact’s place in the sporting landscape of Montreal, it will have a positive trickle down effect to all levels of soccer in Canada.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @John_Richan. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
