National_Premier_League

Jamaica Premier League

Jamaica Premier League

Football league


The Jamaica Premier League (formerly the National Premier League), commonly abbreviated as JPL and officially known as the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is sanctioned by the Jamaican Football Federation as the top division for men's association football in Jamaica.[1] Contested between 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with JFF National Tier II.[2][3] Most games are played on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings (Monday Night Football).[4]

Quick Facts Organising body, Founded ...

The Jamaica Premier League is ranked as the best in the Caribbean and the 10th best in CONCACAF as of February 5, 2024.[5]

History

The Jamaica Premier League was formed in 1973 to serve as the top tier of Jamaican professional club football.[6] The league's inaugural season kicked off on September 22, 1973 as the Craven A National Club League Championships, and finished with Santos F.C. as the first title winners.[7] 14 clubs have been crowned champions of Jamaica. Portmore United F.C. is the most successful team with 7 top flight titles.

The 2019–20 season was ruled null and void on March 12, 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9] Later in 2020, Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) began managing the league with its focus being the commercialization and marketing of professional football in the country.[10]

In May 2021, the Jamaican Football Federation announced that the league would resume, playing a shortened season between June and September, competed by the 12 teams from the previous season.[11] In June 2021, UWI F.C. announced it would withdraw ahead of the 2021 season due to the modified schedule conflicting with other player commitments; leaving 11 teams in the competition.[12]

Montego Bay United was promoted to the league at the start of the 2022 season, restoring the league to 12 teams. Also in 2022, the league entered an agreement with Admiral Sportswear to supply kits to all teams in the league.

The league was expanded to 14 teams for the 2022–23 season.[13]

Competition format

The Jamaica Premier League's regular season typically runs from late August to May the following year. The competition is divided into two stages; the single table regular season and the playoffs.

The regular season is contested in a round robin format with each team playing every other team at home and away for a total of 26 matches. The top six clubs contend for the championship in the playoffs, the first and second place regular season finishers advance directly to the semifinals and the third to sixth place teams advance to the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinals and semifinals are played in a two legged, home and away, format with the winner decided on aggregate with away goal rules enforced. The finals and third place matches are contested as a single leg match.

The bottom two regular season finishers are relegated and replaced the next season by the top two finishers of the JFF National Tier II.[13]

Clubs

2023–24 clubs

A total of 14 teams contest the league in the current season.

More information Club, 2022–23Regular Season (Playoffs) ...
  Title holders   Promoted

All-time table

The following is the historical table of the Jamaica Premier League from the professional era in the 2001-02 season up to the concluded 2022-23 season. Table does not include matches played in the playoff stages.

More information Pos, Teams ...
  Currently in Jamaica Premier League
  Currently in lower divisions

Champions

By season

Since the inaugural 1973-74 season, 14 teams have claimed the Jamaica Premier League title. As of 2022–23 season, Mount Pleasant F.A. are the reigning title holders, making this their first ever league title in history.

More information Season, Winners ...
Note: No championship was awarded for the 1978–79, 1981–82, and 2019–20 seasons.
Source: RSSSF

By club

Portmore United is the league’s most successful club having won 7 league titles and finishing runners-up 5 times.

More information Club, Winners ...
Notes
(*) Includes titles won as Hazard United.

(**) Includes titles won as Seba United.

  Record Number of Titles

Source: RSSSF

By parish

Kingston and St. Andrew are the most successful parishes with 28 top flight titles won by 7 clubs from Kingston’s metropolitan area. No club from rural St. Andrew has won the league.

St. James is the next best parish with 8 league titles won by 3 clubs. Two of their title winners, Violet Kickers and Wadadah, have since fell from grace and compete in the lower divisions.

Hazard United won 2 league titles while based in Clarendon before the club relocated to St. Catherine and rebranded as Portmore United.

No club from the parishes of Hanover, Manchester, Portland, St. Elizabeth, St. Mary, St. Thomas nor Trelawny have won the league.

Statistics

Top scorers

  Record Goals Scored in a Single Season

All-time goalscorers

More information Rank, Country ...

Hat-tricks

More information Rank, Country ...

Records

Players

Most goals by a player in a single season
Most goals by a player in a single game

Source: JPL Statistics

Clubs

Longest winning run

Regional competitions

The top two finishers in a given season qualify for the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, a regional club tournament held each fall. The third place team qualify for the CONCACAF Caribbean Shield. A top-three finish in the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup is the only route for Jamaican teams to enter the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The league has produced two Caribbean Club Champions, each with two titles; Portmore United F.C. (2005, 2019) and Harbour View F.C. (2004, 2007). The Caribbean Club Championship was replaced with the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup in 2023 as apart of CONCACAF's new club football ecosystem.[31]

No team from the league has made it past the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The league has been more successful in the discontinued CONCACAF League competition with both Portmore United F.C. (2018) and Waterhouse F.C. (2019) making it to the quarterfinals.

More information Competition, Year ...

Sponsorship

During the 1970s to 1990s, the league received sponsorship from Craven A, a subsidiary of Carreras Tobacco Company, throughout its initial two decades. However, in 2002, the pressure from various lobbyists, notably the American Cancer Society, led to the termination of the cigarette company’s sponsorship of both the premier league and local horse racing, marking the end of direct associations between tobacco companies and sporting events.[7]

Wray and Nephew assumed sponsorship of the league in 2002 and subsequently extended the contract until 2012. However, their arrangement abruptly concluded in 2007 when Wray and Nephew released the Jamaica Football Federation from the contract without penalties.[32] Subsequently, the league entered into an agreement with investment company Cash Plus in 2007, despite uncertainties arising in early 2008 about Cash Plus’s commitment.[33][34] In April 2008, the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) ceased their association with Cash Plus Limited as league sponsors and initiated plans for legal action against the investment firm.[34][35]

Digicel signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the league that remained active until 2011.[36]

Red Stripe assumed the title sponsorship of the league starting from the 2011-12 season, a contract that concluded after the league was abandoned in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic .

Digicel commenced a second three-year sponsorship spell from 2020 to 2023. Additionally, after a 16-year hiatus, Wray and Nephew returned as title sponsors in 2023.

More information Period, Sponsor ...

References

  1. "About the JFF". jff.live. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  2. "JFF vice-president apologises over relegation confusion". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  3. "Monday night football returns". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  4. "Concacaf League Ranking". Concacaf. 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  5. Hans Schöggl (10 April 2010). "Jamaica 1973/74". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  6. "Jamaica Gleaner Online". old.jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  7. Livingston Scott (17 March 2021). "JPL targets June start date". The Jamaica Star. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  8. "RSPL suspends games after Jamaica confirms second case of coronavirus". loopnews.com. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  9. Leighton Levy (20 May 2021). "Jamaica Premier League to kick off June 26 as football returns to Jamaica". sportsmax.tv. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  10. Javid Bryan (24 June 2021). "UWI pulls out of Jamaica Premier League (JPL) ahead of new season". sportsmax.tv. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  11. "Anderson: Two-round regular season format will be sufficient". jamaica-star.com. 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  12. "Arnett Gardens FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  13. "Cavalier SC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  14. "Dunbeholden FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  15. "Harbour View FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  16. "Humble Lion FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  17. "Treasure Beach reward fans with Tier II title". jamaica-star.com. 2023-07-10. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  18. "Molynes United FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  19. "Portmore United FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  20. "Tivoli Gardens FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  21. "Treasure Beach FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  22. "Vere United FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  23. "Waterhouse FC – Jamaica Premier League". 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  24. "Premier League teams hound Hodges". Jamaica Observer. 2010-07-20. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  25. "Arnett winning run ends with home draw". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  26. "Arnett Held To Draw, Ending Record Winning Streak". radiojamaicanewsonline.com. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  27. "Brighter day coming for PLCA". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  28. "Red Stripe to the rescue". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  29. "Digicel signs as Premier League's presenting sponsor". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  30. "Wray and Nephew back as JPL title sponsors". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2023-11-25.

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