WITH four players from the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) making the Reggae Boyz squad for the FIFA World Cup Play-offs, Professional Football Jamaica (PFJ) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Owen Hill says the league has the potential to become a consistent feeder for the national team.

Mount Pleasant Football Academy defender Kyle Ming and Montego Bay United midfielder Dwight Merrick were the two JPL players named in Rudolph Speid’s 27-man squad on Friday for the intercontinental play-offs against New Caledonia of Oceania, and potentially Democratic Republic of Congo, of Africa.

However, following the withdrawal of winger Demarai Gray and midfielder Kevon Lambert through injury, Tivoli Gardens winger Nickalia Fuller and Racing United midfielder Nickyle Ellis were added to the squad, which departed for Guadalajara, Mexico, on Monday evening.

All four players were part of the predominantly locally based squads that registered wins in international friendlies against Grenada and Martinique recently, as Speid prepared for the play-offs after replacing Steve McClaren as head coach at the end of November.

Speid says it was always his intention to give JPL players a chance, once the opportunity presented itself.

“Those players that excelled [against Grenada and Martinique], we’ll just be jotting in names and say, ‘These are the backup players that we have, just in case,’ ” he told YouTube channel Ball Pree TV recently. “You know how football is, you might just think you don’t have a chance and somebody just drops out and you’re in.”

Back in November, during Jamaica’s 0-0 match with Curacao at the National Stadium, only third-choice goalkeeper Tafari Chambers and midfielder Jahshaun Anglin, both from Mount Pleasant, were named on the bench.

Hill says four JPL players in the squad in an event of this magnitude is a testament of the league’s growth.

“It’s a strong signal that the Jamaica Premier League is moving in the right direction,” Hill told the Jamaica Observer. “What we’re seeing is the outcome of a more intentional focus on standards, competitiveness, and visibility.

“The league is beginning to re-establish itself as a credible talent engine where players are not only developed but consistently tested in meaningful environments. Selection at the national level is ultimately about trust — and this moment shows that trust in the local product is being restored.”

There has been a long-standing view that locally based players have been overlooked by the Reggae Boyz technical staff. However, Hill says PFJ is taking steps to change that narrative.

“The opportunity now is to institutionalise this pathway so that local players are not viewed as exceptions or replacement call-ups but as integral components of the national talent pool,” he said.

“For this to be the standard, continued investment in match quality, sports science, player exposure and, importantly, the commercial growth of the league is paramount for sustainability. If we get these areas right the gap between local and overseas-based players will continue to narrow.”

Hill says coaches in the country’s top flight should be motivated by Speid’s rise, following his success with Cavalier.

“It reinforces that the JPL is not just developing players — it is a faculty of leadership development as well,” he said. “When a coach transitions from the local league to the national stage and succeeds, it validates the ecosystem and raises the standard across the board.

“It should inspire our coaches to invest in their craft, knowing that there is a legitimate pathway to the highest levels of the game. For us as a league it also sharpens our responsibility to build stronger technical frameworks and support systems for coaching development.”

The quartet will hope to be involved in Thursday’s clash with New Caledonia on Thursday. A win would set up a final with DR Congo for a spot in this summer’s World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Montego Bay United’s Dwight Merrick (left) tries to elude Dunbeholden FC’s Jardon Taylor during the Jamaica Premier League football match at Jarrett Park in St James on Wednesday, March 18. (Photo: Paul Reid)

HILL…the league is beginning to re-establish itself as a credible talent engine.