PFJL wants prime Monday night games

The scheduling of Jamaica Premier League (JPL) games for Monday night’s televised fixtures has once again come into question, as many football fans were left scratching their heads last week after learning that the Portmore United versus Vere United match was the game scheduled for the prime time slot instead of the more attractive Arnett Gardens-Waterhouse clash.

Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) CEO Owen Hill sought to explain that it is a sore point they have with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) competitions committee, which has sole responsibility for scheduling fixtures.

Hill pointed out that they have tried relentlessly to get the competitions committee to fix the most enticing fixtures for the JPL Monday night matches but with limited success.

“We do not create the schedule. The competitions committee creates the schedule,” Hill was quick to note.

“While I would think that sensibly Arnett Gardens and Waterhouse on Monday night would be the best game and we would have all preferred to have that game, the competition’s committee would not facilitate,” he said.

He reasoned that the game between Portmore and Vere would not generate the same amount of interest, television audience, or spectators as the Arnett-Waterhouse fixture, and this, he says, only hinders the product they are trying to build.

“With all due respect, how many people will sit up to watch Portmore verus Vere or turn out? For that game I doubt we will have a full house.

“Any well-thinking person will ask, why aren’t we playing Waterhouse and Arnett Gardens on Monday night?

“I have talked about it constantly, but it is very difficult for us as we try to move in this direction,.

“It is fully in the hands of the competition’s committee. We are just trying our best to get them to adjust, but they do not have to accept our recommendations,” he commented.

Competitions committee vice-chairman Ewan Scott admitted that the PFJL’s recommendations are not always accepted because they have to create a balance in how teams are scheduled.

“It is a joint partnership between the PFJL and the JFF. We have discussions in terms of arriving at the final decision. So it is not a one-way street. It is a cooperation between both bodies.

“But in joint partnerships not all recommendations are accepted. You cannot look at the competition in isolation and just look at one game.

“In football, one has to have a balance with the timing of the games, with some teams playing early and some playing late. So it is all about a balance,”Scott said.

He insists they will continue to work with the premier league organisers to get the best possible games for a Monday night.

“We will not just look at Monday night, we look at the schedule in general, but we will work jointly, and the competition’s committee will reach out to the PFJL and try to see how best the games are scheduled,” he added.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com