BARBICAN FC may be new entrants to the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL), but the club’s vice-president Chris James holds no fear of challenging some of the nation’s best football teams.

James said his focus is more on acquiring the necessary funding to help sustain the nine-month long league campaign and ultimately fulfil ambitions of at least remaining in top-tier football for more than a season.

“I have no real fear of the big league. Truth be told, it’s organisation, management and financing that really plays football. My main concern is money because that’s where the crux of the matter lies in football. It’s about who has the funds to persist for the nine months,” he said.

Barbican earned promotion after topping the Kingston & St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Super League and then leading the way in the All-Island Confederation Play-offs.

Despite the consistency shown in those performances, James explained that he is not in a position to accurately gauge the strength of his current squad until he has seen them in competitive games against seasoned Premier League outfits.

“As a new team coming up it’s hard to see until you play some of these teams,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“Right now, I am not saying I’m satisfied or dissatisfied with what I have. You’re only as good as the other teams allow you to be so I can’t size up a position until I play a few games to know where we are in terms of our quality. I’m going to give myself the first three games to see where we are,” James added.

Former Waterhouse FC coach Junior Francis has taken over the reins at Barbican, while Denton Shedden, who guided the North Eastern St Andrew club throughout the play-offs, will be his assistant.

The newly promoted club added players to bolster their squad and notably recruited former national player and schoolboy standout Steve Green. James said the veteran ex-Tivoli Gardens FC player was “brought in because of the experience” he has of playing in the top division.

They also held onto a few core players including centre-half Shawn Lawes.

Due to renovation of the Barbican field and its facilities, the club will be playing home games at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. According to James, that arrangement may be in effect for the “first month or two” of the 2014-15 season.

Barbican were scheduled to open their RSPL account against last season’s runners-up Waterhouse at the National Stadium today, but that game is postponed because the latter team has a number of players away on national duty.