Businessman Christopher Williams has been appointed chairman of the newly formed Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), the body that will run the Premier League staring this season, if and when the season starts, it was announced on Wednesday.

Williams, who is the CEO/co-founder of PROVEN Wealth Limited (PWL), one of the island’s top wealth management companies, was one of three independent appointees to the board of directors. The others are businessman and president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and vice-president of finance at Sagicor Nadani Chung.

The new chairman is quoted in a release from the PFJL to have said: “I am happy to be asked to serve. A successful Jamaica Premier League will both drive economic opportunity for a vulnerable grouping and provide a platform for improving our national team.”

The PFJL, which has replaced the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) as the organisers of the country’s top club football competition, “will be managed by a capable team of professionals to lead the development and enable the execution of new commercialisation strategies, branding, marketing and international business development to support two of the three critical pillars for growth of professional football in Jamaica,” the release said.

“Commercialisation and Talent Development. The third of the three critical pillars for growth of professional football in Jamaica is Governance. The new team will be governed by a board of directors to include for the first time, independent directors,” the statement continued.

Donovan White, the outgoing interim chairman and president of Waterhouse Football Club, gave his endorsement of the appointment of the three new directors.

“These outstanding business leaders bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the board, and as we build a pathway to a vision of league sustainability by 2023, we believe that our new independent directors, as well as other leaders in the private sector, have a critical role to plan in achieving this,” White was quoted in the release.

White also said that “the PFJL is presently active in the marketplace finalising commercial arrangements for the league, including television production, broadcast rights distribution, league and club sponsorship and special venue agreements for the delivery of the 2020/21 Jamaica Premier League season”.

The release outlined further that the PFJL is a “duly constituted company under the Company Laws of Jamaica formed by the twelve (12) premier league clubs”.

“In July, the PFJL and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) began negotiation on a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the PFJL to be granted the marketing and commercial rights to the Jamaica Premier League. These negotiations were concluded in early September 2020 and signed by both parties,” the release concluded.