Jamaican clubs work on international standard home grounds

Jamaica’s growing ambitions in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup are running headlong into a problem that has little to do with what happens on the pitch.

With only a limited number of venues currently capable of hosting regional matches, Jamaica Premier League (JPL) clubs are increasingly looking beyond squad building and towards the development of local facilities.

For clubs like Arnett Gardens, Montego Bay United and Cavalier, their ambition is clear; invest in their home venues until they meet Concacaf standards.

The shared idea is to create additional options for international football while giving clubs a chance to reduce some of the financial burden associated with regional competition.

Peter Thelwell, general manager of Arnett Gardens, said the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex is already close to achieving that goal.

Thelwell believes the venue, which has hosted several local matches over the years, is close to meeting the requirements to host Concacaf games, with an upgrade to its lighting system the only major hurdle standing in the way.

According to Concacaf, a venue must have lighting capable of producing 1,000-lux, the standard required for its television broadcasts.

Thelwell said the club has been exploring proposals to upgrade its existing metal-halide system to the most cost-effective LED technology.

“This facility has met every other requirement to host a match, but it’s just the lights,” Thelwell said.

“We have been shopping for a long time now to see if we could find the right cost point that we could upgrade our lights,” he said.

The investment, however, would have benefits beyond simply allowing Arnett to play international matches at home.

INCREASED INCOME

Thelwell sees the facility becoming another source of income for the club, with the Anthony Spaulding Complex potentially being rented to other Jamaican clubs and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for international fixtures.

“We could rent the stadium and it would be cheaper for clubs participating in the Caribbean Cup or even at the national level for the JFF to use the facility to host international games,” he said.

That economic argument is becoming increasingly important as Jamaican clubs attempt to establish themselves in regional competition.

As outlined in a previous Gleaner report, the cost of competing in the Caribbean Cup carries a significant financial burden for local clubs.

Having the ability to host matches at home would not eliminate those costs, but it could create a new revenue stream while reducing the dependence on a small number of approved venues.

Montego Bay United chairman, Yoni Epstein, is equally ambitious about the prospects of expanding Jamaica’s international football infrastructure.

He said Catherine Hall is already undergoing remediation work following hurricane-related damage.

One of the main plans is to also upgrade Catherine Hall’s lighting to meet Concacaf standards.

“The lighting upgrade that we’re doing post the hurricane will give us the over 1,000 lux that is required from a lighting perspective,” Epstein said.

He also pointed to plans involving the playing surface, including the expected installation of a FIFA World Cup pitch, and believes Catherine Hall could become another Concacaf-approved venue within the next year.

“I think most certainly this time next year, we’ll have three approved venues in Jamaica that are able to host Concacaf matches,” Epstein said.

Epstein said the availability of another international-standard venue in western Jamaica is increasingly important as the National Stadium prepares for renovation, potentially reducing the number of facilities available in Kingston.

“To have more pitches in Jamaica for Caribbean Cup football, Jamaica Premier League, national matches, male and female, other international clubs coming to utilise the facilities, it’s really something for the country,” he said.

“I think it would be tremendous, not only for MoBay, but just for the country as a whole, particularly when you see that the National Stadium will start its renovation in, I think, April 2027. We’re effectively losing an important field when that happens.”

TURNERS OVAL

Cavalier, meanwhile, are taking a longer-term approach with the acquisition of the Turners Oval facility.

Rudolph Speid said the club’s planned improvements include air-conditioned changing rooms, dedicated areas for coaches and officials, upgraded VIP facilities, commercial spaces and improvements to lighting, broadcast platforms and seating.

However, work on the playing surface will not begin until next year as the field will be in use for the upcoming JPL season.

“We will not be able to work on the field during the year, but definitely we’re going to, during the year, work on the lights and work on platforms to film games, and also get proper seating arrangement for the players and the fourth officials.

“That is really the idea, to bring it up to that standard. But I don’t think it will be ready until next year,” he continued.

“We’ve changed gear from just Caribbean participation and we’re thinking about building so we can be a force in Concacaf, not just the Caribbean anymore.”

That ambition mirrors the wider evolution of Jamaica’s leading clubs.

Participation in the Caribbean Cup is no longer being viewed simply as a reward for domestic success.

For clubs such as Cavalier, Mount Pleasant, Arnett Gardens, and Montego Bay United, it is increasingly part of a broader attempt to establish themselves as credible regional organisations.

Paul Christie, sporting director of Mt Pleasant, said the Caribbean Cup should not be the destination for Jamaican clubs, but rather a vehicle towards raising Jamaica’s regional profile.

“We truly believe in our product and our posture has not changed because we truly believe,” Christie said.

“You have to understand your objective, and if we look at Caribbean Cup as a destination to where we want to go, then we’ll already have issues. They are just a vehicle to assist us to get to where we really want to go.”

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com