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Waite goes to St Jago
November 08, 2021
After 35 years and two Manning Cup titles with south St Andrew-based Charlie Smith High School, Jerome Waite, has decided to take up a new challenge at St Jago High in Spanish Town, St Catherine.
The veteran coach, who has also won four Premier league titles with Arnett Gardens, has fair expectations of the St Jago team in this year's Manning Cup but is really looking to make his mark next year.
"I was at Charlie Smith for 35 years, so it was time to move on and take up a new challenge," Waite told STAR Sports.
"The opportunity arose and I just took it with both hands. Other schools showed interest but I thought it was best to take up this challenge with St Jago," he said.
Waite, who has coached at the national senior and junior levels, has been preparing the team for approximately a month and although he anticipates that the youngsters will still be learning during the course of the season, he is aiming for at least a second-round appearance.
"This season's competition is not a long one, so there will be no margin for error. But we are pretty optimistic and the players are looking forward to doing well and enjoying what they have learnt over the short period," he pointed.
"It is a new system and it has been brought to them in a different way. We will take it one game at a time, as this is still a learning process.
"But we are looking for the team to do fairly well this year and move on to better things next year," he said.
In the long term, Waite said the aim is to make the school's student-athletes better prepared to make use of football opportunities.
"St Jago are one of the stalwarts in track and field. But the school believes it is a good time to excel in things apart from track and field.
"We want to help players move into the national junior and senior level and get into professional teams overseas," he said.
"St Jago are not short of students getting scholarships but we want to enhance that and help get them in a professional environment. So we are looking to help take them to that professional level," he said.
St Jago are in Manning Cup Group B with St Andrew Technical High, Camperdown High, Jose Marti High, Tivoli High, Excelsior High, Dunoon Technical High and Jonathan Grant High.
Meanwhile, Charlie Smith will be coached this year by Waite's former assistant, Eugene 'Big Head' Williams.
