DON Anderson, the new chairman of the Professional Football Association of Jamaica (PFAJ), says his first commitment is to bring increased professionalism to the entity.

Anderson, who has been on the PFAJ board for less than a year, was asked to fill the breach after former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga stepped down, effective yesterday, after six years at the helm.

The former vice-president of the Jamaica Olympic Association said he will not deviate far from the template set by his predecessor.

“It’s a different thing from being on the board and being in charge and I think certainly one would want to chart one’s own course in terms of the chairmanship,” Anderson told the Jamaica Observer on Monday, moments after his appointment was announced at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) offices.

“But I certainly would not be doing anything significantly different, except to raise the level of professionalism within the organisation and by extension, the sport,” added the highly regarded pollster.

After announcing his decision to relinquish the PFAJ post, the 85-year-old Seaga, who remains chairman of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA), said he has left behind a legacy.

“We have enabled a very smooth, a very efficient, a very non-confrontational operation to take place. It has done a very stable job,” he told the Observer.

Asked why he was leaving the PFAJ and not the PLCA, the one-time prime minister said his role at the former should have ended three years ago.

“I’ve overstayed the time I said I’d be available for,” he said.

Anderson explained that he took up the offer made by JFF President Captain Horace Burrell because sport is dear to his heart. However, he conceded Seaga’s will be big shoes to fill.

“I decided to take on the challenge because sport is my passion. Mr Seaga’s shoes are big shoes to fill,” he said.

Anderson reasoned that he will rely on his vast “experience in sports administration” and “take an objective look to see how the sport” can improve.

He said he expects “full co-operation of the PLCA and JFF members of the board” to help make the PFAJ “a very efficient organisation”.

The PFAJ is owned by the PLCA and the JFF, but the latter has a 51 per cent share in the partnership.

The PLCA’s main task is to raise funds for the nation’s top-tier football league, while the PFAJ has oversight for the operations of local clubs.