HARBOUR View FC’s relegation means one of Jamaica’s most recognisable clubs will be absent from next season’s Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL). However, Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Owen Hill believes it reflects the progress being made by rural area clubs.

The “Stars of the East”, who are joint second-most successful club in JPL history with five titles, ended their three-decade stay in the top flight after finishing at 13th position in the relegation zone with 38 points.

The club of former national stars including Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner, Jermaine Hue and the late Luton Shelton will now have to play in the country’s tier two competition, despite having won the title just four years ago. Harbour View also finished fourth in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup three years ago.

While acknowledging Harbour View’s rich history, Hill told the Jamaica Observer that past success doesn’t guarantee a place in the league.

“It’s a competitive space so no one team can assure themselves if they don’t play for it,” he said. “Yes, for the purists and the loyalists they think that a team like Harbour View should always be in the league but the reality is other teams are stepping up and delivering when it matters most — and Harbour View just have not done that this season. Because of the nature of the league, if you don’t deliver then you’re going to be out.”

Harbour View has become the first team from the Corporate Area to be relegated since Boys’ Town FC in 2018.

One club outside of Kingston and St Andrew which surprised many and retained their place in the league is Treasure Beach FC who secured safety in the penultimate match day, finishing 11th on 43 points.

The St Elizabeth-based club, in their second-ever season in the JPL, had a near-two-month hiatus this season due to the significant impact Hurricane Melissa had on the club and the wider parish in October.

Hill says they deserve a lot of credit and believes the league continues to showcase the depth of talent across the island.

“I like what Coach [Kemar] Ricketts and company are doing down by Treasure Beach, specifically because they were one of the harder-hit teams coming out of Hurricane Melissa. How they’ve gone about their business, they’ve been very diligent,” he said.

“It also is a testament to the fact that the quality across the league is not just domiciled in Kingston and St Andrew, but there is talent outside in these parishes. So when you see [what] Treasure Beach, Chapelton, Mount Pleasant and Montego Bay have done, they’ve created what I believe is a strong network of talented players and coaches, and they’ve consistently raised the bar to create what the Jamaica Premier League is now.”

Hill added, “I’m happy for how they’ve gone about their business, and I think it’s a good storyline for us to have in resilience and hope. This season has been really testy but the truth is, if you have the spirit of Treasure Beach then I think that speaks volumes — and it helps us to amplify the voice that the Jamaica Premier League is where the talent really is and we should be developing more here.”

Hill, though, says the PFJL wants the best league possible, regardless of where clubs are from.

“It’s giving equal opportunity to all the potential participants. I think, from the league perspective, the only thing we can do is to create the atmosphere and the environment for good, healthy competition — and I think that’s what’s happening now where the talent is not residing only in Kingston and St Andrew,” he said.

“Once there’s structure and organisation around any team then there will be that challenge being put up week in, week out, by all these football teams that are playing in the Premier League. For me, it’s neither here nor there whichever team stays up or goes down because our job remains the same — it’s to provide an enabling environment where the players and the clubs who participate in the Premier League, they actually see real returns on their investments, whether it be contracts elsewhere and improved conditions locally, and financial returns for the owners who invest.”

HILL…for the purists and the loyalists, they think that a team like Harbour View should always be in the league but the reality is other teams are stepping up and delivering when it matters most