After seeing two players from the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) move to top European countries in the last two seasons, Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) CEO Owen Hill says the organisation plans to transfer a minimum of 10 players from this season’s competition.

The 2024/25 season of the Wray & Nephew JPL has seen 13 match weeks with a handful of players reportedly attracting overseas interest, including Cavalier FC captain and Reggae Boyz defender Richard King, who has been linked with a move to England.

Following the 2022/23 season, forward Trivante Stewart moved from champions Mount Pleasant Football Academy to Serie A club Salernitana.

After the end of last season, Reggae Boy Kaheim Dixon moved to English League One club Charlton Athletic from Arnett Gardens for an undisclosed fee.

While happy to see the pair earn big moves overseas, Hill told the Jamaica Observer that the league needs to be transferring more players into top leagues due to the quality available locally.

“Absolutely, we should be [selling more players]. I’m putting myself under the microscope that we should be exporting no less than 10 Premier League players this season,” he said.

“Our economy is unable to really absorb the kind of talent and provide them with the resources whether it be salaries, etc, so once you’re a good talent at a youth level then you should be playing in more professional leagues with different kind of economics surrounding that. The vision is always build, train, export so that we have that conveyer belt of talent always moving out of Jamaica and become that source market for talent.”

Hill says the PFJL will play a major role in the players’ preparation for potential moves while using examples of their fellow nationals.

“We have to capture the games, we have to promote the players and get them ready so when they have these trials and stints, they’re actually securing the opportunities, and support them while they’re there because we don’t want them to return because they’re unable to maximise on their talent,” he said.

Hill says he wants senior Reggae Boyz such as Leon Bailey and Shamar Nicholson, who have been successful in Europe, to help the local JPL players transition onto bigger platforms.

“We need Leon Bailey to talk to them, Kaheim, Boza [Nicholson], all the national players, we want them to adopt a player and a team. I had a good discussion with Raheem Sterling and he’s doing some good work, and I’m saying once you have connections to Jamaica and once you’re willing and able, just pass us the contacts and get us the opportunities because, a lot of times, that’s what it requires,” said Hill.

“We have the goods, we just need some good opportunities so every opportunity we get, whether it be public, private or anything of the sort, we’re hammering home that you must be ready if you’re a player and the ways you get ready are you have to be training properly, eating right, be strong mentally and understand the football education side of it, and then we will do the marketing, clean up your image, [just] go out there and represent and that’s what we want,” he added.