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Is the Premier League too long?
published: Thursday | September 27, 2007
WHILE THERE seems to be much controversy surrounding the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and the likelihood of Captain Horace Burrell's unchallenged return, I would like to take a moment to focus on Cash Plus and the Premier League.
Cash Plus has come in to take over sponsorship from Wray and Nephew, which served top-flight football for the last five years. There were improvements under its watch that are worth noting, so I will say to Wray and Nephew, thank you for your contribution to football.
Coverage improved
First, the coverage of the Premier League has certainly improved with one live game per week on television and all other games attracting reports from all areas of the media.
However, there have also been a number of setbacks during the partnership, as some teams were unable to benefit from personal sponsorships because many interested parties were competitors of the liquor giants.
With Cash Plus coming on board more teams will be able to take up these sponsorship offers and we might see a lessening of teams with financial woes in the Premier League. That being the case, the competition might improve.
With more teams being able to pay for good players and more teams being able to make those players comfortable, football could benefit.
Those benefits might be nullified, however, as the powers that be have determined to have an extra round of games.
After playing 33 games in the Premier League season and adding the games played in other competitions, the parish knockout competitions and the national knockout, are we expecting too much football from our players?
Maybe not, but playing more football will mean taking a different approach to preparation and I'm not sure if teams have prepared themselves for this.
If not, the football, in what will now be a fourth round split in two - as is the case with Scotland, could be quite woeful.
Added to that, the extra sponsorship that clubs might be able to generate might just go into allowing them to play an extended season.
This means elements of the sport like infrastructure, the improvement of pitches and other training facilities, might be put on the back burner.
If that happens, then the stagnation of the league witnessed over the past three or four years might continue.
I'm not sure what benefits there are to an extended season, with the exception of giving Cash Plus more mileage for their whopping $150 million three-year deal, but there are disadvantages I'm not sure I'm comfortable with.
The real test of the pudding is in the eating though, so we will await the outcome of this season before we pass judgement and, to be fair, there are other changes I am in complete agreement with.
Over the years, clubs have continuously said the JFF has been making sponsorship deals that were not as beneficial to the clubs as they could be.
No voice
This, the clubs said, was because they didn't have a voice in the negotiations.
That is set to change with the formation of the Premier League Clubs' Association (PLCA).
This organisation, made up of the JFF along with the 12 Premier League teams, is now the group that handles revenue for the league.
The point is to create a body that has the autonomy to do what is best for the league, inclusive of the clubs, since they are the ones that have to play in it.
I like the idea, whether the clubs are capable of handling their own affairs is another question though. Again, I'll have to say, for the answer to that, we'll just have to wait and see.
Send feedback to Paul Andre. Walker@gleanerjm.com
published: Thursday | September 27, 2007
WHILE THERE seems to be much controversy surrounding the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and the likelihood of Captain Horace Burrell's unchallenged return, I would like to take a moment to focus on Cash Plus and the Premier League.
Cash Plus has come in to take over sponsorship from Wray and Nephew, which served top-flight football for the last five years. There were improvements under its watch that are worth noting, so I will say to Wray and Nephew, thank you for your contribution to football.
Coverage improved
First, the coverage of the Premier League has certainly improved with one live game per week on television and all other games attracting reports from all areas of the media.
However, there have also been a number of setbacks during the partnership, as some teams were unable to benefit from personal sponsorships because many interested parties were competitors of the liquor giants.
With Cash Plus coming on board more teams will be able to take up these sponsorship offers and we might see a lessening of teams with financial woes in the Premier League. That being the case, the competition might improve.
With more teams being able to pay for good players and more teams being able to make those players comfortable, football could benefit.
Those benefits might be nullified, however, as the powers that be have determined to have an extra round of games.
After playing 33 games in the Premier League season and adding the games played in other competitions, the parish knockout competitions and the national knockout, are we expecting too much football from our players?
Maybe not, but playing more football will mean taking a different approach to preparation and I'm not sure if teams have prepared themselves for this.
If not, the football, in what will now be a fourth round split in two - as is the case with Scotland, could be quite woeful.
Added to that, the extra sponsorship that clubs might be able to generate might just go into allowing them to play an extended season.
This means elements of the sport like infrastructure, the improvement of pitches and other training facilities, might be put on the back burner.
If that happens, then the stagnation of the league witnessed over the past three or four years might continue.
I'm not sure what benefits there are to an extended season, with the exception of giving Cash Plus more mileage for their whopping $150 million three-year deal, but there are disadvantages I'm not sure I'm comfortable with.
The real test of the pudding is in the eating though, so we will await the outcome of this season before we pass judgement and, to be fair, there are other changes I am in complete agreement with.
Over the years, clubs have continuously said the JFF has been making sponsorship deals that were not as beneficial to the clubs as they could be.
No voice
This, the clubs said, was because they didn't have a voice in the negotiations.
That is set to change with the formation of the Premier League Clubs' Association (PLCA).
This organisation, made up of the JFF along with the 12 Premier League teams, is now the group that handles revenue for the league.
The point is to create a body that has the autonomy to do what is best for the league, inclusive of the clubs, since they are the ones that have to play in it.
I like the idea, whether the clubs are capable of handling their own affairs is another question though. Again, I'll have to say, for the answer to that, we'll just have to wait and see.
Send feedback to Paul Andre. Walker@gleanerjm.com
Paul Marin -19 is one thing, 20 is a whole other matter. It gets even worse if they win the UCL. *groan*. 
05/18/2011.MU fans naah cough, but all a unuh a vomit?-Lazie 1/11/2015
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