Premier League kick-off Sept 11

Football lovers will have to wait an extra two weeks for the National Premier League to kick off.

This was disclosed by Edward Seaga, president of the Professional Football Association of Jamaica.

Seaga, a former prime minister of Jamaica, said that September 11 is the new date for the league to commence, two weeks after the scheduled starting date, this coming Sunday, August 28.

According to Seaga, various sponsors, which have not been named, have asked the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) for an extra week to iron out the legal aspects of their contract before signing off on the deal.

The league was left without a title sponsor following the expiration of a multi-year deal by telecommunications providers Digicel, at the end of last season.

Best players missing

It was also disclosed that the next available date, Sunday, September 4, would be too close to Jamaica's friendly match against Ecuador in Quito, Ecuador, on Friday, September 2, a match that will feature some of the local-based players from Premier League clubs.

The PLCA stated that they would not want to start the league with some of the nation's best players missing from the clubs' line-ups because of national duties.

Latoya DaCosta, general manager of thePLCA, says the format of the league has not changed and there will be the usual three full rounds of 33 games, in addition to the fourth round of five games with the top six teams on points battling each other, with no danger of being eliminated; and the bottom six clubs facing off in a battle to save relegation.

Tivoli Gardens are the defending champions.