2023–24 Jamaica Premier League

The 2023–24 Jamaica Premier League was the 50th season of the top-tier football league in Jamaica. The season began on October 22, 2023, and concluded on May 19, 2024. 14 teams competed in the league, with Mount Pleasant F.A. being the defending champions. Wray and Nephew Group replaced Digicel as the new title sponsor at the start of the season. Cavalier won the league to earn their 3rd JPL title.

Background

Two pre-season friendlies were announced by Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) prior to the start of the 2023–24 season. The friendlies would first see Mount Pleasant face Cavalier in the “Powerade Finals Rematch” on October 15, followed by Arnett Gardens vs Waterhouse in the second staging of the “Boom El Classico” on October 16.

While Mount Pleasant defeated Cavalier 3–1 in the Powerade Finals rematch held at the Drax Hall Sports Complex, there were uncertainties whether the Boom El Classico match would be allowed to be hosted at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex due to curfews in the surrounding areas. The match was later postponed to October 20 with the venue changed to the Drewsland Mini-Stadium. Arnett Gardens defeated Waterhouse 2–0 to retain the Boom El Classico trophy after also running out winners in the inaugural edition held in the 2022 preseason.

Overview

The season kicked off on 22 October 2023, with 6 of the 7 scheduled match week one fixtures contested. Cavalier and Harbour View match week one and two fixtures were postponed due to both teams involvement in the knockout stage of the 2023 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup.

In a late announcement by the PFJL, all 5 match week two fixtures on Sunday, 29 October 2023, were postponed due to Reggae Girls hosting Guatemala at home in the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup qualification competition.

Newly promoted premier league club Lime Hall parted ways with head coach David Pryce on November 20. Pryce walked away after guiding the team through three rounds of matches during which they garnered only a single point. Molynes United head coach, Alex Thomas, became the second managerial causality of the season. Thomas parted ways with Molynes on November 29 after a run of 4 consecutive losses, leaving the club sitting at the bottom of the table and winless after 7 match weeks.

Cavalier and Harbour View match week seven and eight fixtures were postponed due to both teams respective involvement in the finals and third place matches of the 2023 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup.

All postponed matches were rescheduled as midweek fixtures leading up to the halfway point of the season, with each team playing 13 matches by the end of the first round. Defending champions, Mount Pleasant, led the table with 28 points after winning their first 6 matches. Portmore United, displaying strong form and the best defense, trailed closely with 27 points. Despite a shaky start, Cavalier rallied with 6 consecutive victories, tying with Portmore United. Tivoli Gardens, Arnett Gardens, and Dunbeholden secured the remaining playoff spots in the top six.

Derbies

Match Week 4

Match week four was promoted as derby day, with two local derbies, the "Portmore Derby" and the "West Kingston Derby", scheduled on 12 November 2023. The Portmore Derby, the newer of the two, saw Dunbeholden square up against Portmore United at the Ferdi Neita Sports Complex. While the more established and historic West Kingston Derby between Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens was hosted at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

Portmore Derby

Portmore United defeated Dunbeholden 2–0 in the Portmore Derby. The fiercely contested matchup saw both team go down to 10 players. Dunbeholden's Rohan Brown was shown a straight red card in the 12th minute and Portmore United's Emelio Rousseau shown a straight red card in the 70th minute for violent conduct.

West Kingston Derby

Tivoli Gardens defeated Arnett Gardens 3–1 in the West Kingston Derby to mark their first derby victory at their arch-nemesis home ground since 2019. Justin Dunn netted all 3 goals for Tivoli Gardens to earn the premier league's first hat-trick of season, he was rewarded with the man of the match award for his outstanding derby performance.

Match Week 17

Match week 17 featured the return fixtures of both local derbies. The Portmore Derby was hosted at the Fredi Neita Sports Complex again, while the West Kingston Derby was hosted at Stadium East Field.

Portmore Derby

The return leg of the Portmore Derby ended in a 1-1 draw. Dunbeholden took the lead with a 24th-minute goal from Chevoy Watkin, but Steven Young equalized for Portmore United in the 75th minute. Saneekie Burton was shown a red card in the 88th minute.

West Kingston Derby

Tivoli Gardens completed the double over Arnett Gardens with a 3-1 victory in their second encounter, cementing their dominance over their eternal rivals. Arnett Gardens seized the initiative when captain and talisman Fabian Reid lobbed the ball accurately from outside the 18-yard box, beating the onrushing Tivoli Gardens goalkeeper in the 57th minute to notch his 80th career goal for Arnett Gardens in the Jamaica Premier League.

However, Tivoli Gardens faced a setback when Howard Morris was shown a straight red card in the 62nd minute for deliberately striking an opponent in the face during a challenge for a loose ball. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Tivoli Gardens maintained their relentless pressure and were rewarded with a penalty in the 73rd minute, expertly converted by striker Justin Dunn, bringing his season tally to 10 goals.

Undeterred, Tivoli Gardens continued to press forward and eventually took the lead in the 76th minute through a goal by substitute Steven Clarke. Notably, Clarke, a former Arnett Gardens player, refrained from celebrating the goal as a sign of respect to his former club. Clarke then secured victory for Tivoli Gardens with another goal in the 80th minute, sealing a memorable win for his team.

Teams

Fourteen teams are competed in the league — the top twelve teams from the previous season and two promoted teams from the second division. The two promoted teams were Lime Hall and Treasure Beach. Lime Hall made a return to the league since the 2010-11 season in which they competed under the name Benfica. Treasure Beach made their debut in the Jamaica Premier League. They replaced Faulkland and Chapelton Maroons, both of whom previously made their debut in the league. They finished 13th and 14th, respectively, at the conclusion of the 2022–23 season and were relegated to the second division.

Stadiums and locations

Source: Jamaica Premier League

Personnel and kits

Source: Admiral - Jamaica Premier League Store

Managerial changes

Regular season

League table

Results

Playoffs

Bracket

Source:

Results

Quarter finals

Waterhouse won 3-1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.

Arnett Gardens won 2-1 on aggregate and advanced to semi-finals.

Semi-finals

Mount Pleasant won 3-2 on aggregate and advanced to JPL Finals.

Cavalier won 4-2 on aggregate and advanced to JPL Finals.

Third place playoff

Jamaica Premier League Finals

Champions

Season statistics

Top scorers

Hat-tricks

Awards

Match Week Awards

References