PFJL wants JPL to get bigger and better
Published:Tuesday | June 13, 2023 | 1:08 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
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The Jamaica Premier League (JPL), under the stewardship of the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), has continued to flourish, and for the second consecutive season the league ended with exciting play-offs and jam-packed stands at Sabina...
The Jamaica Premier League (JPL), under the stewardship of the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), has continued to flourish, and for the second consecutive season the league ended with exciting play-offs and jam-packed stands at Sabina Park.
Owen Hill, who is in his first season as CEO of the PFJL, said the growth of the league is all a part of their strategic plan and that they will keep pushing the limits to take the league to higher heights.
“This is year three and we are still growing,” Hill told The Gleaner after Mount Pleasant defeated Cavalier 2-1 to lift the title at Sabina Park on Sunday. “We started out in a pandemic and we keep moving forward and pushing the boundaries. So we kept pushing the limits to ensure all the things required to grow football in our country are executed.
“Yes, there are things we can add but as we go forward, hopefully, it gets bigger and better.”
He pointed out that they did experience a number of challenges throughout the course of the season but he believes that they addressed those issues as best as possible and with the input of all the clubs.
“The 2022-23 season was a success despite all the hurdles and hiccups. No organisation is without challenges but the reality is that we will keep looking at situations as they are and try to improve them.
“Our decision-making process is not singular. So everything you see is a combination of all 14 clubs in the league. So all the teams can be proud that they are a part of an organisation like this,” he reasoned.
He continued that they will take all the concerns and what they have experienced this season to make the JPL an even stronger and more attractive product.
“Ultimately, this means that our postmortem will happen. We will review the lessons learnt and the wins we had and the losses and try to correct those losses. But we will intensify and magnify the wins to keep the product growing.
“So we keep hunting and we are definitely hunting for greater heights. The bar is set very high and we will keep moving the bar with the support of all stakeholders, the JFF, our partners and key personnel who drive us forward to get better.
“We have young players across the country who want the opportunity to progress to the next level and the Jamaica Premier League is the place for them. So yes, we have set the bar high and we always want to improve on it,” Hill said.
He added that PFJL was overjoyed and ecstatic to see how the season climaxed on Sunday.
“The last eight months culminated in a magnificent night. Most of the teams represented Jamaica’s football pretty well. So football is alive and the game (final) showed the quality that exists in all 14 parishes.”