National Premier League

The Jamaica Premier League (formerly the National Premier League), commonly abbreviated as JPL and officially known as the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is sanctioned by the Jamaican Football Federation as the top division for men's association football in Jamaica. Contested between 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with JFF National Tier II. Most games are played on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings ''(Monday Night Football)''.

History

The Jamaica Premier League was formed in 1973 to serve as the top tier of Jamaican professional club football. The league's inaugural season kicked off on September 22, 1973 as the ''Craven A National Club League Championships'', and finished with Santos F.C. as the first title winners. 14 different clubs have been crowned champions of Jamaica. Portmore United F.C. is the most successful team with 7 top flight titles.

The 2019–20 season was ruled null and void on March 12, 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. Later in 2020, Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) began managing the league with its focus being the commercialization and marketing of professional football in the country.

In May 2021, the Jamaican Football Federation announced that the league would resume, playing a shortened season between June and September, competed by the 12 teams from the previous season. In June 2021, UWI F.C. announced it would withdraw ahead of the 2021 season due to the modified schedule conflicting with other player commitments; leaving 11 teams in the competition.

Montego Bay United was promoted to the league at the start of the 2022 season, restoring the league to 12 teams. Also in 2022, the league entered an agreement with Admiral Sportswear to supply kits to all teams in the league.

The league was expanded to 14 teams for the 2022–23 season.

Competition format

The Jamaica Premier League's regular season typically runs from late August to May the following year. The competition is divided into two stages; the single table regular season and the playoffs.

The regular season is contested in a round robin format with each team playing every other team at home and away for a total of 26 matches. The top six clubs contend for the championship in the playoffs, the first and second place regular season finishers advance directly to the semifinals and the third to sixth place teams advance to the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinals and semifinals are played in a two legged, home and away, format with the winner decided on aggregate with away goal rules enforced. The finals and third place matches are contested as a single leg match.

The bottom two regular season finishers are relegated and replaced the next season by the top two finishers of the JFF National Tier II.

Clubs

2023–24 clubs

A total of 14 teams contest the league in the current season.

All-time table

The following is the historical table of the Jamaica Premier League from the professional era in the 2001-02 season up to the concluded 2022-23 season. Table does not include matches played in the playoff stages.

Champions

By season

Since the inaugural 1973-74 season, 14 teams have claimed the Jamaica Premier League title. As of 2022–23 season, Mount Pleasant F.A. are the reigning title holders, making this their first ever league title in history.

By club

Portmore United is the league’s most successful club having won 7 league titles and finishing runners-up 5 times.

By parish

Kingston and St. Andrew are the most successful parishes with 28 top flight titles won by 7 different clubs from Kingston’s metropolitan area. No club from rural St. Andrew has won the league.

St. James is the next best parish with 8 league titles won by 3 different clubs. Two of their title winners, Violet Kickers and Wadadah, have since fell from grace and compete in the lower divisions.

Hazard United won 2 league titles while based in Clarendon before the club relocated to St. Catherine and rebranded as Portmore United.

No club from the parishes of Hanover, Manchester, Portland, St. Elizabeth, St. Mary, St. Thomas nor Trelawny have won the league.

Statistics

Top scorers

All-time goalscorers

Hat-tricks

Records

Players

;Most goals by a player in a single season
* 25 goals
** Christopher Nicholas ( 2004–05)
;Most goals by a player in a single game
* 10 goals
** Devon Hodges ( Rivoli United F.C.) 15-0 against Invaders United, 29 May 2005.
Source
JPL Statistics

Clubs

Longest winning run

* 10 consecutive wins
** Arnett Gardens F.C. ( 2015-2016)

Regional competitions

The top two finishers in a given season qualify for the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup, a regional club tournament held each fall. The third place team qualify for the CONCACAF Caribbean Shield. A top-three finish in the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup is the only route for Jamaican teams to enter the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The league has produced two Caribbean Club Champions, each with two titles; Portmore United F.C. ( 2005, 2019) and Harbour View F.C. ( 2004, 2007). The Caribbean Club Championship was replaced with the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup in 2023 as apart of CONCACAF's new club football ecosystem.

No team from the league has made it past the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The league has been more successful in the discontinued CONCACAF League competition with both Portmore United F.C. (2018) and Waterhouse F.C. (2019) making it to the quarterfinals.

Sponsorship

During the 1970s to 1990s, the league received sponsorship from Craven A, a subsidiary of Carreras Tobacco Company, throughout its initial two decades. However, in 2002, the pressure from various lobbyists, notably the American Cancer Society, led to the termination of the cigarette company’s sponsorship of both the premier league and local horse racing, marking the end of direct associations between tobacco companies and sporting events.

Wray and Nephew assumed sponsorship of the league in 2002 and subsequently extended the contract until 2012. However, their arrangement abruptly concluded in 2007 when Wray and Nephew released the Jamaica Football Federation from the contract without penalties. Subsequently, the league entered into an agreement with investment company Cash Plus in 2007, despite uncertainties arising in early 2008 about Cash Plus’s commitment. In April 2008, the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) ceased their association with Cash Plus Limited as league sponsors and initiated plans for legal action against the investment firm.

Digicel signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the league that remained active until 2011.

Red Stripe assumed the title sponsorship of the league starting from the 2011-12 season, a contract that concluded after the league was abandoned in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic .

Digicel commenced a second three-year sponsorship spell from 2020 to 2023. Additionally, after a 16-year hiatus, Wray and Nephew returned as title sponsors in 2023.

References

External links

Jamaica Premier League Official Website
RSSSF.com
Premier League summary
SOCCERWAY)

{{CONCACAF Leagues

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Jamaica
1973 establishments in Jamaica
Sports leagues established in 1973