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Henzell’s departure piles pressure on Treasure Beach
August 22, 2025
WITHOUT EVEN kicking a football in their return to the Jamaica Premier League, Treasure Beach Football Club is already in a desperate struggle as their chairman has stepped down ahead of this week's first round of games.
Businessman Jason Henzell, who has been one of the stalwarts behind the club, has tendered his resignation.
"Stepping aside as chairman was a hard decision but at the same time I want what is best for the team. If they have found a partner who wants control, I am willing to step aside and that is what I did," said Henzell, who stepped down a few weeks ago.
The team is currently seeking partners to invest, and sponsorship.
"As chairman, the response to raising sponsorship was not what I was hoping for. When we did the budget for this year, it was coming out at J$48 million. The truth is, the funds from the league have been reduced from where they were two years ago," added Henzell, who also owns Jakes Hotel, Jack Spratt and is chairman of BREDS Foundation.
The price of transportation to go to additional games, meals, medical bills and the increased number of teams and games by 50 per cent, housing, is what got the team to $48 million, Henzell stated.
The club started in 1993 in the division two league with Henzell as chairman.
In 2023, they were promoted to the JPL.
According to Henzell, the budget two years ago was close to J$24 million, of which the team got about J$8 million from the league.
For the former chairman, another issuing impacting the team is its location.
"It is hard for a rural team to raise that level of money. Eleven of the 14 teams are from Kingston. Mount Pleasant from St Ann has an owner with deep pockets and I applaud him for investing so much in football in Jamaica. The business fraternity in Montego Bay, which owns Montego Bay United (MBU), they are all doing a great job," said Henzell, who didn't think it would be financially responsible to enter the league without adequate funding.
Meanwhile, Paul Bernard, the president of Treasure Beach FC said the significant challenges are also caused by the aftermath of hurricane Beryl.
"Funding is a major problem. Some of the people we would get sponsorship from are still rebuilding from the hurricane last year. South St Elizabeth, where Treasure Beach is, got the hardest hit," Bernard told STAR Sports.
The team is struggling to cover basic costs like food, players and coaching staff salaries.
"When you have 30 people in camp and to feed them three meals a day, it costs a lot. If we can get someone to offset some of our food bill, oh God Almighty," exclaimed Bernard.
"Sponsorship is not only cash, so if we can get someone to sponsor us 100 pounds of chicken or rice a month or week, it will offload some of the cost."
The JPL officially begins on Sunday.
