3 months ago
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LOSING THE Tier II final against Spanish Town Police FC on Saturday is already long forgotten by Treasure Beach FC, who are far more ecstatic about their return to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) after a one-year absence.
Club chairman Jason Henzell revealed that the step up to the JPL in 2023-24 was a massive leap and that they just did not comprehend the full demands of playing in the top flight.
With the experience of relegation behind them, things are different this time around, and they have earmarked a couple of projects to give themselves a better chance at survival.
In the first instance, Treasure Beach wants to play at home. To that end, they are upgrading their facilities in a bid to host matches and bring an important resource — their fans — to bear on how well they perform.
Henzell also wants to join efforts with more commercial partners so that they will be able to fulfill the massive financial demands of the league.
According to Henzell, not having a facility that met the JPL’s standards for hosting games meant they lost an important weapon in the bid to win games.
“It means a lot to be back in the Premier League,” Henzell confessed.
“We were there two years ago, and it was a very steep learning curve. It was like jumping from basic school into university. So we would have learned a lot about the business of football when our approach in the past was more about community development and sports for social change. So we have to be thinking differently.
“We are grateful to STETHS for hosting the last set of Premier League games when we were in the league. So now, we need to bring our home games to Treasure Beach, and we are actively raising funds to build seating at the sports park.
“The home crowd from Treasure Beach makes a significant difference to the morale of the players. We have been in discussions with the JFF, who are in charge of inspecting and passing the facility. We are working with them, and we want to satisfy the requirements to pass the inspection and be given the green light.”
Apart from seating accommodations, Henzell noted that extensive work is needed on the entire facility, which he anticipates will cost at least $8 million
COMMUNITY CENTRE
“It will be more than that ($8 million) because we are trying to improve the irrigation and we are working on our well. We were hit by Hurricane Beryl last year, and that had an adverse effect on our community centre and our irrigation well.
“So we are in fundraising mode now to put a better roof on our community centre, and we are also seeking funding for us to better finance this new team,” he said.
However, to generate the necessary funding to ensure financial stability through the next season, Henzell said they are looking to forge partnerships with other commercial entities, which was not the case the last time around.
“I am actively seeking sponsors, and I am open to potential partners. We are the only team in the Premier League which is owned and operated by a non-profit organisation (Breds and Treasure Beach Foundation).
“But we are hoping to have a commercial partner for the first time because sometimes in life you have to realise you need other people who can bring other resources to the table.
“So there is a strong emphasis about us being open to people coming on board with us. This would be the first time we are thinking that way. We do not know it all, and other people can bring something to the table. So we are open to speaking to partners who are willing to invest in the club,” he declared.
In the just-concluded Jamaica Football Championships (Tier II), Treasure Beach had a majority of schoolboys in their squad although Henzell is well aware that they will need experience to balance the youthful exuberance. They want to maintain a young squad, and he and the Treasure Beach board have all the faith that coach Kemar Ricketts will make the team a competitive one in the JPL.
“I am not going to be ignorant and say we are going in here to win the Premier League. What I can say is coach Kemar Ricketts has a great approach. He has gotten the team to play in a way that is very inspiring to me as chairman of the board.
“Our main task is to go up and stay up. But we are looking to end in the top 10. That is our aim,” he said.
“Coach Ricketts is presenting a proposal to the board on Tuesday, and we are putting a lot of trust in him to lead us. Clearly, we do not have the resources to buy the best players available, but with his experience coaching at the high-school level, we expect him to have a young team and really groom young players.
“So the plan has always been to use sports for social change, and the ultimate goal is to remain in the Premier League and try to get as many scholarships for these young players. But we are going in it this time with our eyes wide open.”
On Saturday, Treasure Beach lost their unbeaten run in the Tier II competition when they were beaten 2-0 by Spanish Town Police FC in the final at Drax Hall.
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