Ainsley Walters - The Weekend Star, Friday, September 2, 2007

Jamaica's top football competition the Premier League, kicks off on Sunday September 30 with a revamped format and $150m boost from new title sponsor the Cash Plus Group of Companies.
Now dubbed the Cash Plus Premier League, the Premiership will undergo yet another change after the decision two seasons ago to have the twelve teams play in a straight points format as opposed to the traditional semi-final and grand final, which existed from the inception of the National League.
This season's format will have the 12 teams playing 38 games in four rounds, as opposed to 33 games in three rounds throughout 2006/2007.
The major change entails the fourth round, which will be split into two groups, the top and the lower six teams, which will then play exclusively in their respective groups.
However points accumulated in the fourth round will be exclusive to the respective group, meaning no team finishing below sixth at the end of the third round would be able to climb into the top tier during the final round.

The opposite applies for the teams in the upper half as they, regardless of their performance in the fourth round, cannot finish any lower than sixth and would be safe from any threat of relegation.
Carvel Stewart(Harbour View FC), vice chairman of the Edward Seaga(Tivoli Gardens FC) - led Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA), said the model is based on the Scottish Premier League (SPL).
Clyde Jureidini(Harbour View FC), assistant secretary of the PLCA, said the new format would extend the number of high-quality games.
"It gives the opportunity for five games over a one month period, four Sundays and a Wednesday, extending the season from the end of April to the end of May or the beginning of June," he explained.
"This would also bring the League in line with others around the world, which has 20 teams and play 38 games over a similar period," he pointed out.
Jureidini reasoned that the format would be more exciting as like teams would be pitted against each other in the final leg of the race for either the title or relegation.

The new PLCA which was instrumental in jettisoning former sponsor Wray & Nephew Limited, could ultimately be responsible for the running of the Premier League from as early as next season.
The PLCA is fashioned off the English Premiership system with each club holding a share in what is effectively a company, which conducts the financial and business affairs of the group.

Burchell Gibson, general secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), said the federation's board of directors on September 9, had appointed an interim body comprising three officers of the JFF and five from the PLCA with the objective of creating a seperate league in accordance with the articles of the JFF and subject to approval of its congress.
"For this 2007-2008 season, the JFF would actually run the competition. The competition's committee would have full oversight and the administrators would be in charge of all logistics, fixtures, appointments and liason with the referee's association.
However, under this new committee, hopefully for the 2008/09 season the, Premier League would be a seperate entity with the JFF having oversight responsibility." he explained.
Gibson said this was the way to go."In every country with a professional system, there's is an independent body, even Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica have such a system." he said.

Waterhouse Football Club made full use of the transfer market by acquiring at least twenty one players to add to their already formidable squad.
Six players formally of demoted Naggo Head FC is set to join Waterhouse most of whom are expected to fit into the U23 setup. These players include Adrian King and Andre Clennon. The big catch however must be Arnett Gardens FC Johnathan 'Johnny' Williams and Kenardo Forbes also from Naggo Head FC.
National U23 midfielder Mario Harrison has also been added to the slate of new faces here at Waterhouse.

Full Squad

Title Sponsors Wray and Nephew, after discussions with The Jamaica Football Federation has decided to withdraw from it's sponsorship contract for the National Premier League, with immediate effect.
In what is said to have been an 'amicable' agreement between the JFF and Wray and Nephew, who for the past five years have been the main sponsor of the Island's top football competition, follows an initiative by the clubs to attract greater financial support. This in light of an ongoing burdening financial costs that runs into millions of dollars each season, which could not be subsidised by certain sponsorships because of the contractual arrangemant that existed between Wray and Nephew and the JFF and by extension the clubs.
Despite being happy with the benefits it derived from the contract, J. Wray and Nephew Limited after months of negotiations with the Federation, were not prepared to increase their financial commitment to the asking levels of the JFF.

Waterhousefc.com has been reliably informed that Waterhouse's ace mid fielder has secured a contract with English League Championship team Stoke City..

Danilo Barriga a Peruvian national has been appointed as Waterhouse Football Club's new Premier League coach and additionally has been given the responsibility of overseeing all the club's other competitive teams.
Mr. Barriga no stranger to Jamaica and Jamaica's Club football, having done short stints at Seba and Reno United, was introduced to the Press at a conference in July held at the Club's ground.
The 2005/2006 NPL Champions found themselves in need of a senior coach shortly before the end of last season when the then incumbent Anthony Patrick resigned.

Speaking at the manager's introduction to the press Waterhouse's president Peter Hibbert stated "Last year the season ended with our coach resigning, and we continued with what we had in the programme. So going into the new season, the executives met and deliberated for a couple of months. We were trying to find somebody who would fit the objectives of the club, and right now Mr. Barriga is in line with what and where we want to be!."
Continuing Hibbert went on to admit that the Club was embarking on a initiative to strengthen it's weakness in the managerial department and suggested that Barriga's administrative skills would be useful in this area.
"We, as an executive, lack certain thing in management, because of the broad area we have to cover and one of the thing that came out in our interview with Mr. Barriga is his ability and his experience in administration and we are looking for him to work in the entirety of the club, meaning, at all levels," Hibbert added.