Introduction of Supra du Quebec
Supra du Quebec was officially announced as a club in 2025, coinciding with the Canadian Premier League's launch in April of the same year.
Rocco Placentino stood before Supra du Quebec's players, coaches, and club management, preparing to deliver a speech ahead of the club's inaugural training session.
As the club's co-founder and president searched for the right words, he became emotional reflecting on the creation and the vision embodied by the group before him.
Placentino, a former Canadian international, observed a team composed entirely of players and coaches born or raised in Quebec, Canada.
The group had been assembled with inspiration drawn from Athletic Bilbao, aiming to establish the only French-speaking province in Canada on the football map.
"It's done with local pride, local players, local staff, local upper management and local partnerships,"
Placentino said of Supra, which continues its pre-season preparations before competing in the Canadian Premier League.
"Although it's not only talking about it but putting it into action, which we are doing. It's real, it's not a myth, it's not a fiction. It's truth, it's happening and we're extremely proud about this."
A 'Melting Pot' of Quebec
Raised in Montreal, Placentino played for Quebec's other professional football team, Major League Soccer side CF Montreal, and had stints in Italy's second and third divisions.
While Montreal scouts globally to remain competitive, FC Supra focuses on local players who may have been overlooked.
The club aims to provide Quebec players opportunities to emulate Canadian internationals such as Ismael Kone of Sassuolo and Moise Bombito of Nice.
Bombito was born in Montreal, while Kone moved to the city from the Ivory Coast at age seven, highlighting Quebec's rich cultural diversity and passion for football.
"The objective is to have a local pride program in the Canadian Premier League, a team that could furnish players that are local and multicultural,"
Placentino explained.
"I look at countries like Belgium and Iceland. If they're able to build players and sell them worldwide to become phenom footballers, why can't we do it in Quebec?
A lot of players would fall through the cracks here and miss out on opportunities to shine and to be exposed at a higher level.
All we need to do is take these ballers, put them in an environment that is very professional but also keeping that DNA of being street ballers."
A unique feature showcasing Supra's pride in their province is the inclusion of the Quebec flag on their kits.
Paul Desbaillets, Supra's chief branding officer, stated the goal was to express Quebec's distinct character.
"There's always been a history of Quebec versus Canada,"
he said.
"What makes us so proud exactly at this club is that here is more proof of why this province is so spectacular. We are a complete mix of French, Italian, British, Moroccan, Persian and Asian.
It doesn't matter what ethnicity. We've formed together around Supra first and that's our melting pot of what Quebec is."
Connection to Supra Montreal
Although Supra du Quebec is a new club yet to play competitively, its name and colors originate from one of Montreal's earliest football teams.
Supra Montreal operated from 1988 to 1992 and was the setting for some of Placentino's earliest football memories as a six-year-old.
"I remember going to games with my father and watching players that were mainly local players playing for Supra Montreal,"
he recalled.
"I loved the colours. I loved the blue, white, and red.
And I said, 'You know what? I want to relive that experience as now a founder of this club and bring back that local pride and that Quebec feeling'. We wanted to relive it and modernise it the best way we could."
Alongside the colors and name, there is a personal link between the two clubs through one of Supra du Quebec’s new players, Alessandro Biello.
Biello, 19, is the son of Mauro Biello, who played for the original Supra and captained Placentino during their time together at CF Montreal.
"When we signed [Alessandro] Biello every box was checked in terms of what we were looking for,"
Placentino said.
"The work ethic, bleeding for the colours, bleeding for the city, playing in front of his family and friends, having that drive to do well with the Supra, so that maybe one day he could be sold to a team in Europe.
So for us it's a very proud moment to have Mauro's son play for Supra and hopefully he follows in his father's footsteps."
Strict Local Recruitment and International Interest
Quebec has a population of approximately nine million people. To represent FC Supra, players or coaches must have been born, raised, or have a strong connection to the province.
This recruitment policy mirrors Athletic Club's Basque-only approach, with Placentino planning to visit the Spanish club to learn how to successfully grow a club under such constraints.
Placentino has encountered both advantages and challenges with this policy, having to decline over 150 offers from players without Quebec ties.
Despite focusing on local talent, there has been interest from Quebec-born players who have moved abroad but are eager to return and contribute to Supra.
"There are players who play in Guatemala, in Finland, in Iceland, in Sweden, in Malta that are all Quebec-based players and are saying, 'I want to come home',"
Placentino explained.
"They can't wait to come home and when you hear that, I get goosebumps."
This sentiment is shared by the players, coaches, and management, which is reflected in the club's motto.
"Un club d'ici, pour ici." It translates to "A club from here, for here."
