The Montreal Alouettes are proud to announce that a partnership agreement has been reached between the Quebec Junior Football League (QJFL) and the Montreal Alouettes. The agreement means the Alouettes will be able to keep getting closer to all levels of amateur and minor football in the province.
As well as getting an up-close look at the development and progress of local players, the Alouettes will be able to share their football knowledge and expertise with teams from the Quebec Junior Football League in a variety of ways, namely: training camps, clinics, as well as inviting coaches from the junior leagues to rub shoulders with the Alouettes‘ coaching staff at the team’s rookie camp. The team also intends to provide the Quebec Junior Football League with assistance and resources in the field of marketing in areas such as advertising, sponsorships and promotions.
“Today our organization is taking yet another step in our involvement with amateur football in Quebec. As a professional team, it is our mandate to play a prominent role in the development of young players as well as the leagues in which they play,” said Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed.
“The caliber of play in the Quebec Junior Football League is very high, and we want to actively participate in the growth of the league and the healthy practice of our sport,” added Reed.
The Alouettes held a full evaluation camp for all-star players from the QJFL this past April at Collège Saint-Jean-Vianney and got a first-hand look at the best talent in the league. This marked the first of a series of initiatives whose aim is to develop junior football in Quebec.
“The LFJQ is very proud to partner up with the Montreal Alouettes and to have been able to take part in the club’s first evaluation camp for junior players, declared LFJQ President Don Stark. The Alouettes‘ support for the upcoming season is greatly appreciated and we are anxious to develop this collaboration.”
Throughout the years the Montreal Alouettes have supported and overseen a large number of amateur and minor football programs in Quebec. The establishment of the Alouettes Foundation in 2015 demonstrated the team’s desire to be close to, and actively involved with, Quebec’s amateur football community, and to act as a catalyst for youth development in the classroom and on the football field. Among the Alouettes‘ minor and amateur football initiatives are: École de football élite Bruno Heppell Subway, Junior Alouettes camps and the Tim Hortons All-Star Game, to name a few.
Junior football has been in existence since 1908, during which time many leagues and teams have been involved in the development of the sport in Quebec and Ontario. Founded in 1981, the Quebec Junior Football League began with four teams in the Montreal area and over the course of several years extended into Ontario. In spite of the league being known by several names and having different teams throughout its history, a common denominator remains: to offer high-caliber football and an opportunity for young men between 18 and 25 years of age the opportunity to play the sport they love. Former professional players along with former Alouettes like Pierre Vercheval, Bruno Heppell and Pierre Desjardins went through the ranks of Quebec junior football leagues.
