After Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson expressed high praise regarding the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), two long-serving stakeholders agree that the nation’s top flight competition has seen significant improvements over the last season.

The eight-month-long 2023/24 season ended in May with Cavalier FC being crowned champions, dethroning Mount Pleasant Football Academy on penalties in the final at the National Stadium.

It was the first time that the top seven clubs in the competition amassed 43 points or higher in a season with fewer than 30 games. Tivoli Gardens and Portmore United made the play-offs, having missed out in the previous season.

“I think the league improved this year, especially the play-offs. They were really good matches, I think that is also something we must help the league to grow and get better players from the league to, of course to sell them abroad but to grow and improve the league will always support the national team. I want to give credit the guys in charge of the league, since the last two leagues, this one was really good especially towards the end,” Hallgrimsson said.

The head coach named four players from the league in his 26-man squad for the CONMEBOL Copa America tournament, including Arnett Gardens’ Kaheim Dixon, Cavalier’s Richard King, Portmore’s Alex Marshall and Mount Pleasant’s Shaquan Davis.

Hallgrimsson also included Cavalier duo Adrian Reid Jr and Gadail Irving along with Arnett Captain Fabian Reid in the recent World Cup qualifiers against Dominican Republic and Dominica. He handed debuts to several local players during international friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago over the last year.

Tivoli Gardens’ Head Coach Jerome Waite, who has spent over three decades coaching in the league, was also in agreement and believes coaching has made a big difference.

“There’s been a lot of improvement and based on the overall performances of the team, you can see a lot of work was put in. The teams that struggle, especially the two teams that came up and went back down, are off the pace but the others have shown improvement technically and tactically,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“One of the good things about the Jamaica Premier League is they’ve put a lot of emphasis on coaching education, so a lot of coaches get the opportunity to get themselves certified and it can only get better for years to come.”

Clyde Juriedini, who has been serving as many-time champions Harbour View’s general manager since 1994, says young players are thriving more compared to previous seasons.

“Generally, the Premier League has shown some improvements across the board, especially in terms of player development. Looking at Cavalier, who have had young teams, have done consistently. Mount Pleasant’s Devonte Campbell was one of the young standout players and his personal development has shown that the local players and extensions the teams have shown improvement across the board,” he said.

Jureidini also believes teams have been more competitive due to the improvement of quality.

“Portmore has been steady, Dunbeholden in the rebuilding phase are on the up, Tivoli showed mark improvement under Jerome Waite with the same squad that struggled before and we had two Jamaican clubs [Cavalier and Harbour View] at the top of the Concacaf Championships, shows the general improvement locally and regionally that the standards are good. Still a considerable way to go but definitely, improvements are there.”

Though pleased with the onfield aspect, Waite also acknowledged the work done by the Professional Football Jamaica Limited in better marketing the league.

“I have to give all of the credit to the organisers, they took it to a next level, especially when it narrowed down to the quarter-finals and the semi-finals at Sabina Park. The viewers and the wider spectrum enjoyed the final as well, they’ve made significant improvement.”