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JWPL rebrand a success, says chairwoman
July 16, 2025
With the current Jamaica Women's Premier League (JWPL) nearing its finale, Christina Hudson, chair of Professional Women's Football Jamaica Limited (PWFJL), declared their first season in operation a success.
The JWPL underwent a rebrand at the start of the season earlier this year, and with it came the formation of the PWFJL.
The organisation was formed with the goal of developing and commercialising the local women's league.
While no stranger to administrative roles, Hudson's position as the PWFJL chair is her first in the sport of football, which she has since declared a success.
"It is my first year working in the football space so there has definitely been the learning curve to understand the different intricacies that come with working in the football space but I am working through it," she said.
One of the main reasons behind the success of the league's rebrand was due to their ability to attract major corporate sponsors.
These sponsors allowed the PWFJL to provide a suitable platform for the local league, which also led to better accessibility to games through livestreams, televised highlights and consistent media attention.
This increase in visibility, Hudson explained, was one of their key goals for the season.
"Even though a lot of people were kind of sceptical about what we could accomplish this year, we were able to get on, I think, nine different sponsors at a high enough level that we were able to execute an impressive season so far," she said.
"We had over 60 articles written about us this season, we were able to livestream some of our games, even double headers," she continued
"We had our partnership with TVJ where they had our highlights every Sunday so in terms of the visibility we have achieved, I think it has been really impressive."
IMPACT ON WOMEN
Another one of the PWFJL's key goals this season was to create a lasting impact on the players in the league.
Hudson said with the growing opportunities available in women's football across the world, the organisation believed it is their priority to ensure Jamaica's local athletes are better prepared to take on their opportunities.
"We are running as a non-profit organisation and our goal is really to impact positively the lives of as many Jamaican women as possible.
"The opportunities for women in football are becoming widespread and far-reaching. Maybe not everyone will go on to be a professional player at the highest level but opportunities for scholarships are there," she explained.
One of the ways they sought to prepare the league's players was to host workshops geared towards player development both on and off the field of play.
"One of the big goals that I had for the season was to do with capacity building. Successfully, we have hosted two capacity building workshops. The first one was regarding scouting, what does the scouting process look like and what are scouts looking for on and off the field.
"The second session we had was to do with communication and interviewing. Basically, just how do our girls manage themselves in interviews and how do they promote themselves through press and that was a very important topic," she explained.
The JWPL season is set to close as it nears its knockout rounds. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, set for July 26 and August 2, before its grand final on August 9.
