Alternative United

Alternative United is an organization based out of the English Montreal School Board’s outreach high school system. In 2012, coaches John Devlin, John Commins and Colin Throness decided they had enough talent between their two alternative schools, Perspectives I and II, to enter a basketball team into the Greater Montreal Athletics Association’s Division 1. It was a long season and the team only managed one victory. The next year, with the addition of Options II coach Paul Berry, the coaches approached the GMAA about letting other alternative schools provide the team with players. The proposal was accepted and Alternative United was born.

The team sourced players from five different schools that year and once again entered the GMAA’s Division 1. Before long this very talented group of athletes made a name for themselves as a passionate, scrappy squad that never quit. They posted 7 wins and 4 losses, making the playoffs in dramatic fashion in the last game of the regular season, before going on to lose narrowly in the quarter finals.

Wearing an Alternative United jersey symbolizes confidence and solidarity. The coaches are committed to competing on the court every year, but they’re also committed to the academic success of the players and their classmates. In 2015 the team raised over $3000 through a crowdfunding campaign to help the organization flourish beyond the scope of the basketball court. The next year, Alternative United launched a writing competition open to all outreach students. It was a great success, and thanks to the support of the EMSB and the many donors who reached out during the crowdfunding campaign, winners in various categories received personalized Alternative United jerseys and a publication of all the submissions. The contest and publication now run every year in spring, after the basketball season.

Alternative United remains committed to offering students who attend these smaller schools a sense of community and pride in being a part of the alternative school system. In the years ahead, the plan is to expand on the organizations previous successes by continuing the creative writing competition, organizing more fundraisers and team trips, and hopefully one day entering a girls’ basketball team into the GMAA. If you’d like to order copies of the creative writing publications, or Alternative United t-shirts, jerseys and hoodies, please contact teamaltunited@gmail.com.

Alternative United

Confidence and Unity

About the Organization

Our commitment to success on and off the court