Humble Lion chase revival in JPL Jackson: We are looking at the future and we can’t retain old players who are just looking a payday.

Humble Lion’s start to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season is far from what club president Christopher Jackson may have anticipated, after they were beaten 3-0 by Tivoli Gardens on the opening day and then 5-0 by Waterhouse on Monday.
Nevertheless, the young executive firmly believes the club will come good this season, because of their new approach and module.
A former player and community native, Jackson was called in to oversee operations after the team got relegated from the JPL in the 2024-25 season,
Jackson, who has a masters in business management, pointed out that, after being summoned and appointed, he revisited a strategic plan he had written for the club prior to their relegation from the JPL.
However, rebuilding the club without adequate resources made the job a lot more challenging, but he believes that with their new structure and approach things will turn out positive.
“It was tough falling out of the Premier League after so long, and then losing all the support and resources we would have had, based on who was in charge before, but Humble Lion didn’t evolve while the league evolved and that why Humble Lion struggled.
“So the vision myself and the team came in with was to be as organised as possible. We knew, before taking up the charge and playing in the Championship (Tier II) to return to premier league, that it is not the clubs with the most resources that are successful but really the clubs that are more organised.
“So that was the area we focused on, being organised and it turned out that it was the right approach,” he said.
Restructuring included getting the club a back account and getting outdated documents up to date.
The club also made huge changes to their recruitment policy, focusing more on youth and less on veteran players.
The new policy worked in Tier II and he believes they will achieve similar results in the JPL.
“We are looking at the future and we can’t retain old players who are just looking a pay day.
“We understood that, in order to compete successfully in the league, you must have the right attitude and mindset and players have to be driven to do well individually and as a team, and present themselves when an opportunity comes to advance to a higher level.”
However, achieving their ambitions without adequate resources has kept Jackson’s team working overtime and, with the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) no longer providing clubs with a sponsor, Jackson said this has added another layer of difficulty.
“Throughout Tier II, we approached a lot of businesses and individuals who have given us a little thing here and there, but we are yet to have a title sponsor and it is because of the stigma around Humble Lion.
“They say Humble Lion have money because of the minister, Mike Henry, who usually runs the club. Now the minister is not a part of the club, we do not have that luxury, in terms of resources, so it was very difficult.
“For the Premier League, we still do not have a title sponsor. We remain hopeful. We have written a lot of proposals and it is just for us to get the audience to pitch this proposal to sponsors we have identified,” he said.
Despite their unfavourable start to the campaign, Jackson believes the season will eventually bear fruit.
Although they have an inexperienced coach in Davian Meggo, Jackson believes this can be a blessing.
He pointed out that most coaches in the league are recycled, as well as their tactics, and he thinks having Meggo, who no one really knows, is a positive for them.
“Experience is relative. With this coach, who is very talented and knowledgeable, I know what to look for.
“It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. It is the amount of work you put in as a coach.
“Most of the coaches in the league have been there for a while and their strategies haven’t changed much. So they are kind of predictable.
“They do not know his strategy and his playing style, so I think this young coach really has an advantage,” he said.
He added that staying in the league is their top priority and that, by the end of the season, he wants the team to have a clear identity in terms of playing style.
“When a team comes to play, they will know Humble Lion play in a particular way and they will have to do the adjustment. So I want us to be remembered as a team with a specific identity.”
livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com