MONTREAL – As part of International Women's Day efforts across the globe, CF Montréal announced on Wednesday a new partnership with the Aléo Foundation, formerly known as the Fondation de l'athlète d'excellence du Québec.
In continuing its commitment to the development of women's soccer, CF Montréal will be awarding four scholarships, for a total amount of $10,000, to young women soccer players across the province of Quebec. The recipients will receive their bursaries at halftime of the CF Montréal match scheduled for May 6th at Stade Saputo.
“It is with great pride that we announce this collaboration which will concretely support young women soccer players. This initiative is directly in line with our mission of giving back to the community by supporting grassroots soccer and contributing to youth development,” said CF Montréal president and CEO Gabriel Gervais. “Being an engine of dreams and emotions is also about outreach to young and talented girls who are passionate about our sport. I firmly believe we can help them reach their goals and go even further.”
“We are thrilled to unveil this new partnership between CF Montréal and the Aléo Foundation,” said the Aléo Foundation’s Executive Director, Patricia Demers. “In order for young players to reach their potential, we must support them from a young age by ensuring they receive all the necessary support for their development and well-being. With this concrete gesture, CF Montréal is contributing to their overall development, and we are incredibly grateful to the Club.”
The Aléo Foundation is an organization that brings together stakeholders from various fields, including business, education, health and sports. Its mission is twofold: to grant scholarships to student-athletes to enable them to reach the highest educational and athletic levels and to accompany them in the development of the other spheres of their lives, making them inspiring role models for Quebec society.
In addition to the scholarships, the Foundation will provide support services to all bursary recipients who will be selected in collaboration with the Centre national de haute performance de Soccer Québec (CNHP).
Previous bursary recipients of note have included current CF Montréal first team players Samuel Piette and Mathieu Choinière.
ABOUT THE ALÉO FOUNDATION
The Aléo Foundation has been an ally of Quebec athletes since 1985, always striving for the overall development and well-being of its scholarship recipients. With more than 20 million dollars invested over the past 40 years, the Aléo Foundation is both a scholarship and support resource. The Foundation’s aim is to go further, beyond results, medals, and championships, because the real objective is to train our athletes today to be our leaders of tomorrow.
ABOUT CF MONTRÉAL
Founded in 1992, and having completed its first season in 1993, CF Montréal is a professional soccer club that has been playing in Major League Soccer, North America’s top division, since 2012. It has won the Canadian Championship five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021), and has also reached the CONCACAF Champions League final in 2015, as well as the competition’s quarterfinals in 2009, and, more recently, in March 2022. CF Montréal plays its home games at Stade Saputo, a 19,619-seat soccer-specific venue, and on some occasions at the Montreal Olympic Stadium. In 2010, the organization established the CF Montréal Academy, a training centre for 13-20 years-old soccer players as part of its development pyramid. The Academy has close to 70 players in its program and reaches hundreds of additional players through the Pre-Academy, partner clubs and its regional programs. CF Montréal is the first and only professional club in North America to offer a sport-study program for youths as young as 12 years old within its Academy. Through the Montreal Impact Foundation, CF Montréal is very involved in the community. Its mission is to organize and support activities to improve the quality of life of children and families from disadvantaged backgrounds. It also provides sports facilities to promote physical activity and social integration.
