PFJL welcomes new ruling for schoolboy footballers in JPL

CEO of Professional Football of Jamaica Limited (PFJL), Owen Hill, has welcomed the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association’s (ISSA) ruling which allows schoolboy footballers to compete for their clubs during the school season.

According to ISSA competitions officer, Ewan Scott, while there wasn’t a written rule, which had barred student-athletes from competing in club competitions during the schoolboy season, there was a longstanding agreement that players would wait until after their season ended to compete in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL).

“It has been customary that schoolboys don’t participate in the competition until either their team has completed their schedule or the end of the season,” Scott explained.

“It was a longstanding practice that as long as there is daCosta Cup or Manning Cup, the schoolboys don’t normally play any club football.”

However, starting this season, ISSA has placed an official ruling stating players can play in their clubs throughout the schoolboy season should they wish to do so.

Scott said this was not a change to the rules, but rather an addition made to clarify the situation of school and club priorities.

Hill welcomed the new ruling, as he believes it aligns with the JPL’s goal of encouraging youth development throughout the clubs as well as help make the JPL the league of destination for the nation’s young players.

“It’s a massive ruling,” Hill said.

“It gives the clubs the option of greater player selection and that is youth player selection because our focus is always on trying to get more youth exposure early on. So once you have players eligible, it means you get players exposed to a higher level more consistently.”

With the rule, however, comes a stipulation that could affect player availability in both schoolboy and JPL competitions.

The new rule states, “A player who plays a match in any club competition (eg. Premier League/Major League), during the SBF season, must sit out six days after playing in that competition before being eligible to represent their school in an SBF game.”

MANDATE IN PLAYER’S INTEREST

Scott said this mandate is to ensure players’ health is not at risk due to playing a high volume of games in a short span, as well as to ensure schools are not clashing with clubs for player selection.

“We’re trying to encourage development but still ensure the schools don’t get shafted in that their players are too tired or something like that,” he said.

Owen agreed with ISSA’s concerns about player’s health and said it is also a priority for the PFJL.

Owen felt while some players might be discouraged about representing their clubs due to the six-day wait period, it is in place for the players’ best interest.

“I think it’s a catch-22. It is looking out for the best interest of the athlete, as we don’t want to overwork the youth players. The stipulation of the six-day period is sensible and at the same time, it helps to safeguard the players.”

With schoolboy players designated as amateurs due to being unable to sign professional contracts with their club, Owen said ISSA’s new ruling can open the door to further rule adjustments in the future.

Currently, the JPL only allows for clubs to register a maximum of five amateur players each season. With schoolboy players potentially playing a larger role in the future, Owen is open to amendments to the amateur player quota.

“We are now saying you’re eligible, so it definitely facilitates a conversation about how much more sports are available for amateur players,” he said.

“We’re not just trying to fill spots just to fill spots. Once the players are high quality, then the coach will want to fill those spots.”

The schoolboy football season starts on September 7 while the JPL season is geared to kick off a week later on September 15.