CHAMPIONS Arnett Gardens FC highlighted the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) Awards Ceremony at the Courtleigh Auditorium on Thursday, winning a number of team and individual prizes.

The football team from South St Andrew defeated 2013-14 winners Montego Bay United 2-0 in the final at the National Stadium on Monday to take the championship trophy and the $2.5-million bounty.

Arnett had also previously won $1 million for being the top club throughout the preliminary stages of the 2014-15 campaign, amassing 69 points, while leading for 15 of the league’s 33 games.

Montego Bay pocketed $1.5 million for claiming second place, while third-placed Humble Lion FC and fourth-placed Waterhouse FC, were handed $1 million and $500,000, respectively.

The season spanned a total of 203 games, and Franz Walker, the league administrator, in his competition overview, said it was fittingly capped off by attendance to the championship match, which he declared was over 17,000 spectators.

Captain Horace Burrell, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, while thanking the sponsors, stressed that the impressive crowd support for the final is indicative of the marketing value of football.

“What we experienced on Monday night at the National Stadium was simply incredible,” he said. “No endeavour… will create the kind of fun that football will carry,” he continued.

In apparent reference to implementing a franchise football system and the overall restructuring of local club football, Burrell said he is “committed to working together with the clubs” to “make changes” and to reach “conclusions that work for the best for the players”.

The JFF boss concluded an uncustomary short speech by commending Edward Seaga, the chairman of both the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) and the Professional Footballers Association of Jamaica (PFAJ), for his support of the game locally.

Burrell then presented a token to Seaga before exiting the platform to allow Jamaica’s former prime minister to make his address.

Seaga, who outlined that the PLCA was set up seven years ago to help generate funds for the clubs, spoke of the capacity of football to “bring the country together” and to possibly “remedy some of the ills of the country”.

He soon changed pace, however, to touch on happenings surrounding the latest FIFA scandal, which has seen a number of its high-profile executives being indicted for charges relating to money laundering and bribery.

“It won’t be long before more and more news is poured out into the public”, predicted Seaga, who turned 85 years old on May 28.

He said he hopes that when “this turmoil is finished”, football would have “gained and not lost” and insisted that FIFA provide smaller footballing nations with “the facilities they need to be successful”.

Earlier, Cedric Blair, Red Stripe’s managing director, spoke glowingly of the 2014-15 season and said that the size of crowd for the final “proves that football is the number one sport in Jamaica”.

Jennifer Armond, the communications manager of China Harbour Engineering Company, also echoed those sentiments, while saying that the turnout was “another example of Jamaican people gaining confidence” in their support of local sporting events.

The Caribbean’s marketing manager of Busta Andre Noel, the marketing and communications manager of Jamaica Urban Transit Company Clinton Clarke and the senior marketing officer of Supreme Ventures Andrei Roper also endorsed the RSPL.

Meanwhile, at the post-season awards function, Arnett Gardens’ Jerome Waite was recognised as Coach of the Year. He guided the club to 23 victories, seven draws and six losses.

Arnett’s captain Oneil Thompson was named Player of the Season.

The tall Arnett Gardens defender was also handed the esteemed Tony Burrowes’ Award for exemplary conduct on and off the field.

Reno FC’s small-framed striker Craig Foster won the top marksman award for scoring 20 of his team’s 44 goals.

Montego Bay’s towering Jacomeno Barrett was judged the top goalkeeper.

National youth team attacker Shamar Nicholson, who plays for Boys’ Town FC, was judged the Junior Player of the Season.

The lanky player scored seven goals in 20 appearances.

Rivoli United won the Fair Play Award.

Match officials were not overlooked. Garfield McDonald took the Commissioner of the Year Award to break the dominance of many-time winner Anthony Cooke.

The top referee was Kevin Morrison and the best assistant was Garnet Page. Both officiated in the final.