Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant Football Academy has bought Belgian third division club RAEC Mons.

Mount Pleasant, formed in 2016 by Englishman Peter Gould, made the announcement via a press release on August 1, 2025.

Gould and Managing Director Charlie Methven were delighted to announce that they have acquired a majority stake in a European club.

“Becoming an owner of a historic European club is a proud day and the next step in our project to create a football powerhouse in the Caribbean,” said Gould.

“There is a lot of hard work ahead for our management team, but between what we have in Jamaica and what we now have in Europe, I feel that the building blocks are in place to take us to the next level and beyond,” he added.

Methven, a former chief executive of English club Charlton Athletic before stepping down in March 2025, who was also an executive at Sunderland FC, said this is a huge moment for Caribbean football.

“Until now, young players from our region have had to rely significantly on chance as to whether they get their big move to Europe,” said Methven. “But now, when they come to Mount Pleasant, they will know that if their talent and hard work merit a contract in Europe, then that will definitely happen for them.”

RAEC Mons was founded in 1910 and played most of its history in the top two divisions of the Belgian league, but is currently in Tier 3.

The club won the Belgian Second Division in 2005–2006, and secured three Third Division titles in 1949, 1985, and 1999–2000.