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Cost concerns for RSPL - Clubs expecting raised expenditure as details of new season to be outlined at press conference today

Published:Tuesday | September 22, 2020 | 12:05 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
JUREIDINI
JUREIDINI
Cavalier FC’s Dwayne Atkinson leaps to control the ball during a Red Stripe Premier League match against UWI FC at the Mona Bowl on Sunday, February 23.
Cavalier FC’s Dwayne Atkinson leaps to control the ball during a Red Stripe Premier League match against UWI FC at the Mona Bowl on Sunday, February 23.
SPEID
SPEID
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Red Stripe Premier League clubs are expecting to spend much more than their estimated average of $15 million to $20 million per season to finance their campaigns for the 2020-21 term because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But even though clubs are expecting the season to be more expensive than usual, they are not certain how costly it will really be.

However, Cavalier FC Technical Director Rudolph Speid anticipates that it will cost clubs an additional 25 per cent to finance this season.

“We expect the cost to jump up ,but how it will jump up, we really don’t know,” he said. “It depends on what happens with the pandemic and how much time it takes.”

Speid says testing and other safety protocols might lead to large costs and said that clubs are going to need additional assistance.

“Everybody will have it hard. We need help,” he said. “Every time you test the 30 to 40 players, you are talking $400,000, and we are sure we will not have to do this one time, so you can do the numbers.

“Some [teams] might have two [training] sessions a day and might have to give some individuals assistance. So there are some costs that you cannot put a handle on, but if you ask me to guess, I would say maybe a $5 million more or 25 to 30 per cent more.”

Harbour View FC General Manager Clyde Jureidini said the impact of COVID-19 on training expenses for his club has so far fluctuated, but he said that everyone would have a better idea of what their budget for the season would look like when the details for the season are announced at a press conference today.

“I am not willing to speculate,” he said. “The reality is we don’t know what all the aspects of the new season are and what the sponsorship possibilities will be based on what the new arrangements are. So we really wouldn’t be able to say until we hear and we know what all the other logistics and possibilities are.”

Although Harbour View is not feeling the full brunt of players’ expenditures now, it has been costly putting safety measures in place and maintaining them.

“We have smaller increments of persons [training] based on the rules, health norms, and restrictions. We have less training sessions because we are in partial activity mode, so most players are not there on a daily basis.

“But we have additional features of sanitisation, health protocols, restrictions that we put in place. But until we get back to a full-scale training session, along with the medical and social restrictions set out by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Sports that will be outlined, we really don’t know.”

No football has been played locally since March when the Jamaica Football Federation cancelled the season because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the press conference today to announce the details of the season is expected to announce a biosecure environment for the league.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com