A new campaign, a new competition format, some new acquisitions, but Portmore United’s philosophy remains the same.

Known as a selling club for their unapologetic thrust in exporting players overseas, Portmore United have consistently blooded young players who have taken on the mantle of winning the Premier League or seriously challenging for the title.

Since changing their name from Hazard United to Portmore United, then changing their parish affiliation from Clarendon to St Catherine, the club has grown from strength to strength.

Located at the Ferdie Neita Park in Braeton with a capacity of 4,000, Portmore United have chalked up Premier League titles in 2005, 2008 and 2012 to add to the previous one as Hazard United in 2003.

Head coach and former Reggae Boy Linval Dixon has been asked, once again, to lead the charge and he stated that the ambition remains the same.

“Every year we are fighting for the title, that’s our main goal, but at the same time we want to bring young players through,” he said.

He continued: “We’re not hiding away from our expectation, our expectation is to win the league, and we are preparing ourselves to do just that.”

Portmore, who were third last season, have retained the core of last season’s team, and will be one of the favourites to win the newly formatted competition.

The acquisition of Levaughn Williams from Sporting Central Academy and Romeo Parkes, on loan from St George’s FC, have made Portmore United one heck of a team with the likes of Damian Williams, Adrian Reid, Ewan Grandison, Stephen Williams, Alonzo Adlam, Paul Wilson, Andrew Christie among others.

“They will have a lot of impetus on the team. At the moment Parkes is not available, Levaughn is there doing well, he is a player that we have admired over the years, and it’s a boost for us and he will do well for the team,” noted Dixon.

Dixon, a no-nonsense defender who helped Jamaica qualify for the 1998 World Cup Finals, but didn’t participate in France through injury, believes the change of league format was a good one.

“It was good to bring back the semi-final and final. People may be looking at it as a backward step, but they are trying to bring out spectators at the games. In the past, you used to have large crowds, so I know the reason for it,” said Dixon.

“Portmore won’t worry about the format, we will always challenge for the title and last year we didn’t have a good start and in the end we faltered and came third, but this year we want to start well and be in the mix.

“We are ready for any challenge and we are confident enough that we can go out there and do our best,” concluded Dixon.