With long-term profitability and development in mind, Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) Chairman Chris Williams says they will be launching several initiatives in the coming weeks which he regards as ‘game changers’ for football on the island.

One of the major initiatives will be key in driving player sales as the PFJL has signed a three-year deal with Italian analytics company Wyscout, which is regarded as ‘the world’s biggest library of football video and data.’ The company specialises in football scouting, match analysis, and transfer dynamics and is used by clubs around the world including from the English Premier League.

In a sit-down interview with the Jamaica Observer, Williams says this new deal will result in an increase of players from the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League securing significant transfers to clubs overseas.

“Nobody is flying around the world anymore to look at matches,” he said. “They don’t have the time for that so you have to record and upload the games to Wyscout. It uses AI [artificial intelligence] to analyse the players, so all the players are tagged and it spits out performance data and the scouts get the data, analyse it and if they are interested, make an offer. That improves the marketability of our players a thousandfold.

“The fact is we are Jamaica, we are seen as naturally talented and so we are getting more and more interest from clubs globally. We have the example of Trivante Stewart that went to Italy, so player sales are happening.”

There will also be the launch of an Under-17 training programme for the clubs. Unlike the JFF/SportsMax Elite League in 2017 and 2018 and the JFF/PLCA Under-21 league which has been inactive for close to a decade, Williams says it won’t be a tournament and will strictly deal with player development.

The Observer has learnt the programme will run for 16 weeks and one of Jamaica’s leading beverage companies will be the title sponsor.

Williams says another initiative will be begin shortly which will address some of the infrastructural needs that local clubs and players face.

“We need to work on the surfaces, the equipment to assist in training and performance, the playing gear like boots, which is an expensive proposition and also scholarships for kids that don’t have the day to day sustainability to allow them to relax and focus on training,” he said. “We will also be announcing a programme with an international body that is going to also be game changing and put us in a position to get the funds to execute on those infrastructure needs and those scholarship needs.”

Education programmes for coaches, administrators, and groundsmen of local clubs will also be introduced.

Williams says he’s eager to see the benefits of the initiatives and that this will help instil greater confidence among Jamaicans regarding the sport.

“The plan is there — my board meets monthly,” he said. “We’re a 17-member board, we have solid strategic plans and we’re managing the execution of the plans and we are making huge progress. It’s not like we’re telling you something to come, it is happening. We started in 2020, we have already achieved significant progress and I’m saying to Jamaica that we are on the right path, it is happening and will happen. You are going to get the level of structured development and execution of the sport of football at a professional level.”