Still no formula for balancing football books

President of Humble Lion, Christopher Jackson, believes Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) can do more to assist clubs as the struggle for sponsorship continues in the Legend Jamaica Premier League (LJPL).

A number of LJPL clubs have struggled both on and off the field this season, with one issue emerging as a common challenge: a lack of sponsorship.

That reliance on sponsors has left clubs without significant financial backing facing an uphill battle.

Returning club Humble Lion sit at the foot of the 14-team table with two points from five games.

“I really think the PFJL could do a little bit more in terms of helping the clubs getting sponsorship rather than leaving it up to us seeking out our own sponsorship rather than leaving it up to us to get our own sponsorship,” said Jackson, pointing to the PFJL’s mandate to make the league more commercially viable.

For years, title sponsorship has been the main source of income for the PFJL, which operates the nation’s top-flight competition.

According to PFJL board member Akeem Smith, the organisation is seeking to move in a different direction.

“Scouts use certain platforms to see and to scout certain players, so we are trying to get a platform base so we can advertise our players. I think player sales is one of the mediums that most clubs can be able to survive and I think that is what we are trying to develop as a league,” Smith said.

Smith added:

“It’s important for player sales for the matches to be aired so wherever you are in the world you can just go, whether it is the JPL YouTube channel or the clubs’ YouTube channel and see the player that we are trying to sell, so you can have a good understanding. So the value of the players that we ask for can be justified.”

Smith, who also serves as general secretary at Treasure Beach, said the club’s challenges differ somewhat from those faced by other teams, largely because of its location.

“Our travelling expense for one round might equal the other teams’ travel expense for the entire season … . We don’t have the luxury of having our players going home after traning, etc, so we have to camp them. So we have to rent a facility to house then feed them, etc.” Smith said.

“I think we are one of only two teams who do full-time housing of players, us and Mount Pleasant Academy, but different financial circumstances for the two teams,” he continued.

Roger Simmonds, general secretary at Dunbeholden, said competition for sponsorship support remains intense.

“The ecosystem surrounding football in Jamaica, there is somewhat some limitation there. For example, the national programme relies on the same corporate sponsors that the clubs rely on as well as the PFJL, so you find that they are limited sponsors out there. So you have to be creative to find those that are willing to assist clubs,” said Simmonds.

Operating a competitive JPL club can easily cost tens of millions of Jamaican dollars each season.

The consensus among club officials is that the monthly financial subventions provided through the PFJL and its corporate partners cover only a fraction of total operating costs, leaving many clubs struggling to balance their budgets.