FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Four teams from western Jamaica will start what they hope will be their journey to the Jamaica Premier League next season when the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) tier-two competition gets underway on Saturday.

Former Premier League champions Wadadah United FC and Faulkland FC from St James, Falmouth United from Trelawny, and Hopewell United from Hanover will join eight other clubs across the island— one from each parish— in the competition that will see the top two teams being promoted to the Premier League next season.

FC Reno of Westmoreland were expected to participate, but did not complete their registration in time.

Additionally, the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association declined the invitation to register any team for the competition.

On Saturday, Falmouth United and Faulkland FC will renew rivalries when they meet at Elleston Wakeland Centre in that town; Wadadah United FC will host Albion Mountain of St Mary at Jarrett Park; and Hopewell United and Tru Juice of St Catherine will meet at Orchard Sports Complex.

While Falmouth United and Faulkland FC have their eyes on joining Montego Bay United in the Premier League next season, Wadadah United’s Coach Daniel Ricketts says his team, which is made up of youngsters who played in the Inter-secondary School Sports Association daCosta Cup competition last year, will be hoping to get experience, which he hopes, will serve them well in the near future.

“The good thing about this competition is that there will be no relegation so there will be no pressure on the players,” Ricketts told the Jamaica Observer West earlier this week.

Last year, Wadadah FC were a play-off match away, against Montego Bay United, from joining the Premier League, but Ricketts said the plan is to build through youth.

“We have to be ready to play, one way or the other, the team is young, schoolboys,” he said, adding that none of the players from the 2019-20 squad — those who would have played the play-off game — will be involved.

“There are no great expectations from the players, so they will have time to grow and develop,” Ricketts stressed.

Brenton Rodney, president of the Falmouth United club, said they had their eyes set on the Premier League, stressing “that has to be the aim if you are playing this league”.

Rodney, who said Dr Dean Weatherly will be in charge of the team, reported they had lost some players “but the core of the team is intact, and those that we lost we have replaced them.”

Gregory Palmer, the Faulkland FC coach, echoed similar sentiments. “Once there is a competition which qualifies you for the Premier League, you have to be ready. We just have to try to put [in] as much preparation as possible,” he argued.

Faulkland FC also retained a number of their players from the 2019-20 season, including attacking players O’Brian Robinson, who was the Western Confederation leading goalscorer when the competition was interrupted by COVID-19; Radcliff Dawkins; and the experienced defender Michael Heaven.

Palmer noted that, while his club has lost some players to the Premier League, he expects his team to challenge for honours this season.