Antigua and Barbuda Falcons Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Miller says the franchise has received better support from that nation’s Government than when it operated as the Jamaica Tallawahs.

This is the Falcons’ first season in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 cricket tournament since changing territories, and Miller, the former Tallawahs CEO, describes the new relationship with Antigua and Barbuda as fruitful.

“I’d say it’s been a bit more cooperative because they wanted to have a franchise here,” Miller said during an interview on Antigua Observer Radio’s Good Morning Jojo Sports Show recently. “When you’re wanted, it generally gets a lot easier.”

The Tallawahs complained for several years about sustainability because of poor crowd attendance and what it considered insufficient funding from the Jamaican Government, leading it to experiment with home games in Lauderhill, Florida, in the 2018 season.

Despite taking their third CPL title in 2023, Tallawahs owners gave up the rights for Jamaica a year later because of continued conflict with the Government.

“Look, we love cricket, but it’s a business, it’s operating,” he says. “The losses that we were incurring in Jamaica could not sustain operating a franchise in Jamaica back then,” Miller said.

He says it has been a fully cooperative effort in Antigua and Barbuda from all stakeholders.

“My experience in Antigua has been fantastic,” he says. “The minister of sports [Daryll S Matthew], the prime minister [Gaston Browne], everyone, the stadium staff have really gone above and beyond to make us happy and to make us welcome here in Antigua. So, it’s a lot easier working here than in Jamaica.”

Miller says the Tallawahs became a hot commodity when the ownership group announced plans to leave Jamaica, as other territories saw the potential for economic benefits from hosting CPL games.

“I can recall, back in 2024, when we had interest in moving from Jamaica, I got a call from [Matthew] indicating that Antigua had an interest because there were rumours that we were looking to move from Jamaica,” Miller says. “I made stops in St Vincent, Grenada, and we were in discussions. But the final decision was with CPL to see the vitality of having a franchise and how that country can sustain a franchise, if it has the network in place. Antigua had all these ingredients that CPL was looking for — not only CPL, but the owners of the franchise as well.”

The Jamaica Observer reported in January that Jamaica was in negotiations to return to CPL with a new franchise. The Jamaica Observer then reported that this franchise would be owned by a group operating in the Indian Premier League, much like other CPL franchises. However, while there was hope to join the 2025 CPL season, logistics could not have been arranged in time to expand the league, and the new team is expected to make its debut in 2026.

The Falcons have had strong performances so far this season, and a seven-wicket win over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Sunday, their third of the season, has put them at the top of the preliminary round table.