The Caribbean Cup gamble

For Jamaican clubs, chasing glory in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup is becoming an increasingly expensive gamble, one they can scarcely afford to make, yet cannot afford to walk away from.

As the football season gets underway, Jamaica’s top clubs have set their sights not only on domestic glory but also on regional domination.

Over the past few years, Jamaica has been at the forefront of the Caribbean Cup, with clubs from the island winning two of the last three titles.

This year, Portmore United, Cavalier Soccer Club and Mount Pleasant Football Academy have secured places in the regional competition, fully aware of the financial commitment required.

For Portmore United, the reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions, that commitment became even greater when they were forced to play their first home game in Trinidad and Tobago.

Garwin Tulloch, chairman of Portmore United, explained that the club was drawn against Salcedo FC and designated the home team.

However, the match could not be played in Jamaica because of the unavailability of the National Stadium and Sabina Park, the only two venues certified to host Caribbean Cup matches.

“I’ll give you a peculiar situation,” Tulloch said. “By virtue of our ranking, we were drawn as hosts against Salcedo for August 4. We were the home team, but by virtue of not having an available approved football facility for August 4, we had to travel to Trinidad.”

Tulloch explained that staging the match in Trinidad significantly increased the club’s expenses compared to hosting it in Jamaica.

He said an away trip, inclusive of accommodation, can easily exceed $8 million for a single match, placing considerable pressure on a club’s finances.

“That in and of itself is an additional expense that you would not have budgeted for. Travelling to an away game with a party of 30 people is a shade under $5 million,” Tulloch explained.

“When you put in accommodation and other stuff, so to speak, a trip like that could easily cost $8 million, and that’s just to play one game.”

Worth the pressure

Despite the financial strain, Tulloch said the opportunity to compete in the Caribbean Cup remains one of Portmore’s primary objectives.

“At Portmore, our sole aim was to qualify,” he insisted.

“Last year, we did not qualify despite making the quarterfinals. We saw that season as a failure because we did not qualify. The ambition of all the top clubs, and it should be the ambition of all the clubs for that matter, is to qualify for the Caribbean Cup.”

His views were echoed by Mount Pleasant sporting director Paul Christie, whose club are the reigning Caribbean Cup champions.

Christie said competing in the tournament remains a major target for the St Ann-based club and an important part of its long-term ambitions.

However, he said the Caribbean Cup is more than just another competition. Instead, it serves as a vehicle for raising the club’s profile across the region and creating opportunities for its players.

“You have to understand our objective, and if we look at the Caribbean Cup as a destination, then we’ll already have issues,” he said.

“[The Caribbean Cup] is just a vehicle that allows us to get to where we really want to go. It creates a platform for us to actually get to that,” he continued.

“We look at it from a qualitative perspective, in the sense that the opportunities, the exposure, and so on and so forth, for both the clubs and the players that it can bring. We truly believe in our product, and it’s the best marketing tool, put it that way.”

Poor infrastructure

But Tulloch argued that while clubs are willing to absorb the costs associated with competing in the Caribbean Cup, their ambitions are being hampered by inadequate infrastructure in Jamaica.

According to Concacaf Stadium Guidelines for 2026-27, venues must meet standards relating to the field of play, facilities for teams, officials, spectators, Concacaf delegations, broadcasters and doping control, among other requirements, before they can host regional matches.

To date, only the National Stadium and Sabina Park meet those standards and possess the necessary certification to stage games.

Tulloch said the limited number of approved venues affects clubs’ ability to prepare properly and pointed out that only one of the two facilities is purpose-built for football, with Sabina Park serving primarily as a cricket venue.

He also argued that Jamaican clubs are at a disadvantage compared with teams from Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic.

“We only have one designated approved football facility in the National Stadium. While Concacaf will allow you to play at Sabina Park, it’s not really a football-designated stadium,” he said.

“We are behind countries like Trinidad and the Dominican Republic who have multiple football-designated facilities available.”

For Tulloch, Jamaica lacks the infrastructure needed to support the ambitions of its leading clubs, forcing teams to spend more simply to compete regionally.

He believes that until that changes, the Caribbean Cup will remain a curious paradox, an expensive undertaking that Jamaica’s top clubs cannot afford to ignore.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com