Newly promoted teams have struggled to stay with the pack in the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) but Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) Chief Executive Officer Owen Hill is urging Racing United and Chapleton Maroons to elevate their standards ahead of the new season.

St Catherine-based Racing United and Chapleton Maroons of Clarendon both gained promotion to the JPL after earning qualification through the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Championship, commonly known as the Tier Two league.

However, since the expansion of the league from 12 to 14 teams for the 2022/23 season, none of the clubs which earned promotion have been able to avoid relegation. Debutants Faulkland and Chapleton Maroons both finished 13th and 14th, respectively, and conceded close to 120 goals combined.

Last season, St Elizabeth’s Treasure Beach and Lime Hall of St Ann had similar fates, as they were relegated weeks before the league’s completion. Lime Hall, with seven points, only mustered one win all season, scoring a league-low 14 goals, while conceding a league-high 69 goals. Treasure Beach’s statistics were slightly better but 13 points were far from enough to keep them in the top flight.

Though admitting games are won on the field, Hill says the PFJL are ensuring Racing and Chapleton are administratively sound, which he believes is necessary for their survival.

“Racing and Chapleton, we speak to them on a daily basis and probably hand hold them a little bit before, giving them all the support that is required,” Hill told the Jamaica Observer.

“From an administrative standpoint, coming into the league, we provide them with that handholding to make sure they’re compliant with every rule, submission, etc. On the field of play, there’s not much we can do, but we ask them to consistently retool, look at their strategy and don’t be afraid to make the tough decisions early because you benefit from it in the end.”

However, Hill says other clubs have been given similar support as the PFJL seeks to make the JPL better.

“We don’t want place holders, we’re trying to create a competitive environment. We are number one in the Caribbean but the bigger vision is dominance at the [Concacaf] Caribbean Cup level then moving into the [Concacaf] Champions Cup. So every team that represents Jamaica should be of the highest calibre in terms of footballing pedigree. For that to happen, you need consistent exposure and the teams are quite aware of that,” said Hill.

“Everybody sees the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow [and determine] ‘this is why I’m competing in this thing’, but outside of that, you consistently move talent and earn from that kind of investment. It’s important and we keep reiterating to the clubs, you’re not just supposed to be here filling a spot. You’re here to compete, you’re here to advance and make the league better,” Hill added.

The JPL is set to kick off on Sunday with the full fixtures set to be released in the coming days. This season will see a record number of games being played as teams will now play a maximum 39 league games, compared to 26 done in the previous two seasons.