Henzell steps down as Treasure Beach chairman

WITHOUT EVEN kicking a football in their return to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), Treasure Beach Football Club is already in a desperate struggle as their chairman has stepped down ahead of this weekend’s first round of games.

Businessman Jason Henzell, one of the stalwarts of the club, has tendered his resignation.

“Stepping aside as chairman was a hard decision, but at the same time, I want what is best for the team,” said Henzell, who stepped down a few weeks ago.

The team is currently seeking partners to invest and to provide sponsorship.

“As chairman, the response to raising sponsorship was not what I was hoping for. When we did the budget for this year, it was coming out at $48 million dollars. The truth is, the funds from the league have been reduced from where they were two years ago,” added Henzell, who also owns Jakes Hotel, Jack Spratt, and is chairman of BREDS Foundation.

The club started in 1993 in the Division Two league, with Henzell as chairman.

In 2023, they ended a 42-year drought as they were the first St Elizabeth-based team to be promoted to the JPL.

According to Henzell, the budget two years ago was close to $24 million dollars, of which the team got about eight million dollars from the league.

For the former chairman, another issue impacting the team is its location.

“It is hard for a rural team to raise that level of money. Eleven of the 14 teams are from Kingston. Mount Pleasant, from St Ann, has an owner with deep pockets, and I applaud him for investing so much in football in Jamaica. The business fraternity in Montego Bay owns Montego Bay United. They are all doing a great job,” said Henzell, who didn’t think it would be financially responsible to enter the league without adequate funding.

Meanwhile, Paul Bernard, the president of Treasure Beach FC, said there have been significant challenges following Hurricane Beryl.

“Funding is a major problem. Some of the people we usually get sponsorship from are still rebuilding from the hurricane last year. South St Elizabeth, where Treasure Beach is located, got the hardest hit,” Bernard told The Gleaner.

The team is struggling to cover basic costs like food, players, and coaching-staff salaries.

“When you have 30 people in camp and to feed them three meals a day, it costs a lot,” said Bernard.

“Sponsorship is not only cash. So if we can get someone to sponsor us 100 pounds of chicken or rice a month or week, it will offload some of the cost.”

Henzell continues to support the club by allowing them to train at the Treasure Beach Sports Park and housing them.

“It is not a major issue not having a chairman now. Jason has his businesses to run and is also rebuilding, so with a lot on his head, he has put the football aside for now. We still work closely together,” said Bernard.

The JPL officially begins on Sunday, August 24. Treasure Beach FC’s first match is against Spanish Town Police FC at 3:30 p.m.