Higgins targets future growth and sustainability for Wray & Nephew JPL

KINGSTON: Chairman of the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) finance committee, Peter Higgins, sees a pathway for the growth of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) going forward.

The league’s 2025-26 season concluded last weekend with Portmore United claiming their eighth title with a win over Cavalier FC in the final at the National Stadium.

Before the final, Mount Pleasant Football Academy beat Montego Bay United in an exciting third-place playoff.

“Two good games. The grandstand is full. It’s good all around,” Higgins said.

Higgins credited the league’s sponsors for making the season a success.

“All sponsors are important. Wray & Nephew is the major sponsor. Wray & Nephew is a part of the Jamaican culture, so we really appreciate the fact that they’re here and we’re hoping that they’ll stay another three years with us,” he said.

Kerry Ann Bryan, brand manager for Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum, said the brand remains proud to support the continued development of local football through its partnership with the league.

“The Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League continues to be a powerful platform for showcasing the immense talent, passion and community spirit that exist across Jamaican football. We are proud to support a competition that not only entertains fans but also creates opportunities for players, clubs and communities to thrive. Congratulations to Portmore United on their championship victory and to all the teams that contributed to another exciting season.”

The number of fans in the grandstand on the final day was a positive for Higgins, a reality he hopes will be there for the majority of next season.

“The atmosphere has been good right throughout the playoffs. We’re a little disappointed with the crowd support, but today has been good,” he said.

“It has been a tough season. We were playing 39 games, and we were playing games twice per week, so I think that could’ve made people a bit oversaturated with the football,” he added.

An obvious fix for the oversaturation would be fewer games, but Higgins says all options are on the table.

“I see a lot of things we can improve on, so we really need to go back to the drawing board. I don’t want to say what those are yet, but I have observed some stuff we can do better next year in terms of getting more people to the games.”

On a wider scale, the standard of football for the league was very good, but Higgins thinks it can get even better.

“The general thing that associations and clubs face is a lack of funding. I think we need to be a little more creative in terms of how we finance both our clubs and our associations. You probably will see some changes where that is concerned next season,” he said.