One step closer to JPL restart - PFJL changes gear amid concern, as Gov’t moves to facilitate return of sports
Published:Sunday | February 7, 2021 | 12:12 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
To access this article in full please login or register today
Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) chairman, Christopher Williams, says that they are finalising their request for match days, to facilitate the return of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), in light of the Government’s approval to restart...
Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) chairman, Christopher Williams, says that they are finalising their request for match days, to facilitate the return of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), in light of the Government’s approval to restart sports islandwide.
Sports Minister Olivia Grange, in a release on Friday, said that all sports will now have the opportunity to reapply for approval for their events, rather than ask for exemptions, thanks to a new provision in the Disaster Risk Management Order.
The provision requires that requests be submitted to the director of sport for the Ministry of Sport, which will then be forwarded to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management for final approval, if the measures are in keeping with the terms of the order.
In a January 16 interview with The Gleaner, Jamaica Football Federation president, Michael Ricketts, said that a date had been tentatively set aside in February for the start of the JPL season, subject, of course, to the necessary approvals.
Williams, while not committing to a specified timeline to start, said that they are making the request for possible match days where games can be held and are grateful to the Government for its work towards a return of sports in the country.
“We are now going through the process of submitting our applications to get our games approved, and we have all our production aspects [organised] and ready to go. We are just waiting on the go-ahead from the various ministries,” Williams told The Sunday Gleaner.
Local top-flight football has been inactive for almost a year because of COVID-19 and previous attempts to get play started last October and November were unsuccessful, as protocols could not be agreed to.
The PFJL, which is responsible for the marketing and sponsorship of the league, has secured various multimillion-dollar agreements with corporate partners, and says that they are ready to initiate all restart plans once the dates are approved.
“We have been in our pre-planning stage. We have been meeting weekly, getting all our ducks in a row so we are close to being able to mobilise the league,” Williams said.
VENUE COMPLIANCE
Meanwhile, Harbour View General Manager Clyde Jureidini says that despite yesterday’s announcement removing another barrier towards resuming play, he is not convinced that games will be able to kick off this month, as under the order, the potential venues will have to be assessed to ensure compliance.
“It’s one step further but it’s not anywhere near the finish line. To me, it doesn’t look like [final approval for games] will be [given] before the end of the month, or March at the earliest,” Jureidini said.
For the moment, the current plan for the 2020-21 season still calls for a 22-game schedule, followed by the play-offs, a competition format that Williams is optimistic of executing.
Jureidini says that he expects that there will be a considerable amount of strain on the players, based on the possible turnaround time between games.
Additionally, there is the complication of a Concacaf mandate for all regional domestic competitions to be completed by June before the start of the 2021 Gold Cup tournament, in which Jamaica is expected to participate.