After years of frustration in the sport, Kyle Butler stepped away from his football playing career in 2020, seemingly for good. However, the birth of his son has revived the spark and he’s now looking to make an impact in the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL).

The 26-year-old midfielder is set to play in the country’s top flight for the first time for Vere Phoenix United, under co-owner, technical director and father Craig Butler.

Kyle, the adoptive-brother of Jamaica and Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey, had stints in Belgium, Austria, and Malta and represented Jamaica’s under-23 team.

However, in 2020, he decided to pursue a career in entertainment, stating that he fell out of love with football after a number of incidents.

He slowly returned to the sport in 2023 but with coaching at Phoenix Academy and Manning Cup champions Mona High School.

But now being the father of an eight-month-old, Butler decided to give playing a chance again as he didn’t want to be viewed as a quitter by his only child.

“I have a son now and I don’t want later in life I’m pushing him into 0something and he’d say, ‘Dad, you quit when you had the chance to persevere.’ I definitely am doing it for him and very excited for him to see me play,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“It’s a long journey, I haven’t played in a couple years so I’m focusing on getting myself physically and mentally ready but I’m enjoying it. I’ve been training with the boys, I’m in a good atmosphere. I’ve coached for a couple years and have got a lot of experience so I now see the game in a different lens and I hope I can help the boys off the pitch and also bring my experience on the pitch.”

Although he has no set date to make his debut for the Clarendon-based Vere, he is confident he will be ready when the opportunity arises.

“To get on the field is more of a mental battle,” he said. “I know if I get on the field now, I can perform. But I’m taking my time and getting to my best form, so I’m taking it step by step. It all depends on the results of our team; once they’re doing well and they don’t need me, I’ll take my time to get back to best shape but if the results aren’t coming in, I’m going to lace up my boots.”

Following Phoenix’s takeover of Vere in July, the ambitions were high with Craig and Head Coach Lenworth Hyde aiming to win the JPL.

However, they got off to a rough start as they suffered a 4-1 loss to Montego Bay United at the Wembley Centre of Excellence last Sunday, with some local fans saying that success will be hard to come by.

Kyle, though, says their track record speaks for itself and he expects a strong showing for the remainder of the season.

“The Phoenix can never die,” he said. “We have the best developmental system in the country. We have produced the best footballers the country has ever seen, so we have nothing to prove to the public. But what we will do in the Premier League is play the football we know how to play and we will get things going when we have all our players in check.

“In terms of negativity, we don’t care about that. That’s not feeding our families, that’s not making us better. We’re focusing on ourselves. We work hard and whatever else happens is up to God.”

Since Vere’s promotion to the JPL in 2019, the club has finished in the bottom half of the table four of the last five seasons.

Vere will play their second game of the season today when they take on Molynes United at Sabina Park at 3 pm.

JPL Match Week 2

Sunday

Racing v Dunbeholden @ Ferdi Neita Park – 3:30 pm

Molynes v Vere Phoenix @ Sabina Park – 3:00 pm

Cavalier v Portmore @ Sabina Park – 5:30 pm

Humble Lion v Tivoli Gardens @ Effortville Community Centre – 3:30 pm

Monday

Montego Bay v Harbour View Montego Bay Sports Complex – 7:00 pm