‘We haven’t deserted the women’

JAMAICA FOOTBALL Federation (JFF) technical committee chairman Rudolph Speid has dismissed reports that there will be no women’s premier league this year.

On the contrary, Speid said there are plans to make the women’s league a stronger product and revealed that the technical committee and JFF board had signed off on the proposals for the upgraded competition, and it is now for the competitions department to set a date for the 2022-23 season.

“There is a report that we will not be playing women’s football and that is not true. There was supposed to be an abbreviated version for 2021-22 but the decision was made to hold a full 2022-23 season,” he explained.

“The football season basically ends in June, so instead of having just one round of an abbreviated version., we said let’s start this year and go two full rounds with a really good competition to restart the women’s premier league.”

He continued that it is the intention of the federation to get the women’s game on a professional level, so players can earn from the game.

The JFF is also trying to put a team of independent directors together to form an organisation similar to the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) that will organise and commercialise the women’s game.

“There is a big reluctance from us to come back with it the same way. We are looking to get things professionalised. Our aim is for the women who are playing to get a stipend.

“We are looking at forming that company just like the PFJL, with the same format, so we are looking for independent directors to help us run it and give it its own life.

“We are looking at all those permutations before we get back the women’s league meaningfully and in keeping with the achievements of the Reggae Girlz,” he declared.

There are already funds in place to kick-start the 2022-23 season and although teams are complaining, there is no competition in sight, he encourages them continue training, as it is still vital to their development.

“We haven’t deserted the women. We are just trying to get it better. We’ll be able to get sponsorship and the women will be able to get a salary. It might not be as much as the men’s but we want a basic salary.”

He said eight teams would be sufficient to start the season. However, club licensing remained a major obstacle for women’s clubs.

“We had 14 potential teams but because of club licences some were not allowed and we will not relent with that. You have to pass the grade to get your club licensed and one of the serious things about club licences is the fields. We cannot just allow them to play on any field. We want our ladies to play on top fields at good venues.

“So even if you have a good team, if your organisation is not in place we will not allow you to play, as we are really trying to lift the standard,” he said.

Since Sherwin Williams ended its 14-year sponsorship of the women’s league in 2015, the competition has been played on and off.

However, since back-to-back World Cup qualification of the Reggae Girlz, calls have increased for the federation to put a proper women’s competition in place.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com