We don’t yet know who will be on the team but we do know what the Emerald Boys squad will be wearing for their upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
The Montserrat Football Association has granted a Miami-based sports brand, BOL, the rights to produce the new kit for the local FIFA team. The graffiti-inspired kits will also be available for fans to purchase online.
Early on St. Patrick’s Day, which is a national holiday here, BOL pledged to gift one jersey to every inhabitant here when the team qualifies for its first World Cup.
The team begins its 2022 World Cup Qualifying journey later this month.
“Our brand was developed to celebrate the joy of the game and is where performance apparel meets fan wear,” said Tiago Pinto, former Nike executive and co-founder of BOL. “It’s about expressing your best, authentic, and joyful self. Whether you’re in the stands, on the pitch, or wearing your same pair of lucky socks watching on the screen at home.”
Known as the “Emerald Isle” of the Caribbean, Montserrat has a rich Irish heritage that dates back to the 17th century. The tiny island nation is the only place outside of Ireland where St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday, which was particularly significant for BOL’s launch date. The team’s jersey features uncut emerald stones, an homage to their home and reflective of the raw talent and journey they hope to polish and shine in the group stage of World Cup Qualifying.
The Emerald Boys have been on the rise since the “Other Final” days when they lost to Bhutan 4-0 in 2002 and aspire to be the next Iceland of this cycle. The 2003 documentary “The Other Final”, its name highlighting the irony of the match being played on the same date as the 2002 World Cup Final. With Montserrat overcoming the challenges of developing a team on an island suffering severe natural disasters during the 90’s, the birth of the true underdog story began. The team hopes to highlight the passion found within the island and its team through its apparel.
The Emerald Boys will be sporting the new kits for the first time during their CONCACAF Group A match versus Antigua and Barbuda on March 24, 2021 and again during their second match on March 28 versus El Salvador. With game-day, training jerseys, anthem jackets and a personalized and inspirational product collection, they can have the necessary support (and style) to fulfill all their aspirations, all created with the “Emeralds Uncut” inspiration.
“Our focus is on teams that have a great story to tell, and we will continue to support Montserrat in their rise up the football ranks,” said Pinto, who found inspiration in Montserrat’s story, making the island nation a perfect fit for BOL’s partnership.
“The MFA Inc. is very pleased to be collaborating with BOL in this venture, in promoting our National Football team and Montserrat in general,” said Vincent Cassell, president of the Montserrat Football Association. “The theme ‘rising from the ashes’ resonates strongly with our Emerald Boys, as our aim is to continue improving our world standing as we fight as hard as possible to qualify for the World Cup. We are excited to see our supporters at home and abroad wearing our jersey with pride.”
Game day, training, and goalie jerseys are available for purchase, starting March 17th on BOL’s official site. For more information, visit bolfootball.com or @bol.football on Instagram.
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About BOL
A Miami brand, BOL was founded by Eduardo Acordi, Marco Gandelman, and Tiago Pinto. The three partners have developed BOL with the belief that sports can generate value and, most importantly, bring people together and develop more caring and inclusive communities. BOL sees the game of football as a way to celebrate bravery, diversity, belonging, and different cultures, all brought together by the same goal: the goal.
