分类： sports

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A new chapter for Calabar High School’s football program has officially begun, with seasoned Jamaican football coach Kemar Ricketts stepping into the role of technical director, bringing with him a proven track record of building competitive teams from the grassroots up. Fresh off pulling Treasure Beach FC back from the brink of relegation in the Jamaica Premier League, Ricketts says he is deeply honored to join the historic institution, which has produced dozens of elite athletes over its decades of existence.

In an exclusive interview with Observer Online, Ricketts opened up about his priorities and vision for the program, opening with gratitude for the opportunity. “First, I have to thank God for granting me this incredible chance to join a school with such a rich legacy,” he said. “So many legendary sportspeople and prominent figures have walked these halls, and it truly is a privilege to become part of this community.”

Ricketts fills the vacancy left by Jermey Miller, who guided Calabar High to the quarter-final stage of both the Manning Cup and Walker Cup for the first time in decades — a milestone that marked the program’s first major breakthrough in top-flight schoolboy football in generations. Calabar High’s trophy cabinet includes just three Manning Cup titles, with their most recent championship win coming back in 2005, a fact that underscores the gap the program has been looking to close in recent years.

Unlike many new coaches who enter a role making grand promises of immediate silverware, Ricketts is focused on building sustainable, long-term success that will outlast his own tenure. His coaching philosophy has been shaped by 15 years leading BB Coke High’s daCosta Cup program, where he built the team’s entire competitive structure from scratch, an experience that prepared him for the work ahead at Calabar.

“I’m not here to make empty guarantees about trophies. What I can promise is that I will give this role my absolute best every single day,” Ricketts said. “My core goal is to introduce clear structure, strong organization, and a culture of discipline across the program. We are building a durable program that will thrive for years after I am gone, and that long-term growth matters more to me than any quick, short-term result.”

Ricketts pointed to his recent work at Treasure Beach FC as proof of his approach: after securing the club’s place in the Jamaica Premier League and keeping them from dropping out of the top division, he calls the result a “monumental achievement” that has prepared him for this new challenge. For Ricketts, taking on the Calabar High role in the storied Manning Cup competition is a dream opportunity he has long awaited.

“I have admired the Manning Cup for years, for its technical quality and the rich tradition of competitive school football here in the Corporate Area,” he explained. “This is a whole new environment and a new challenge, but I am confident that things will grow better as we settle in and put in the work. The chance to rebuild and strengthen key parts of Calabar’s program is something I am incredibly excited about.”

Beyond winning matches, Ricketts emphasized that his biggest priority is nurturing the young athletes he will coach, focusing on personal growth as much as on-pitch performance. He wants to help the student-athletes develop a clear sense of purpose, build unshakable self-belief, and learn to see their potential from a new perspective. That growth, he says, should translate to every area of their lives, not just the football pitch.

“My biggest hope is that when these young men move on from the program, they leave as better people, with the confidence to express themselves both on and off the pitch,” Ricketts added. “That is the legacy I want to build here at Calabar.”

A major shakeup has hit Curacao’s senior men’s national football team just months ahead of their first ever World Cup finals appearance, with the Caribbean side turning to the architect of their historic qualification to steady the ship.

Veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat, who masterminded Curacao’s surprise run to secure their spot in the global tournament, has stepped back into the head coach role following the sudden resignation of his short-tenured successor Fred Rutten. The confirmation came directly from Gilbert Martina, president of the Curacao Football Federation (FFK), in an exclusive phone interview with AFP from Caracas, Venezuela.

The 78-year-old Advocaat originally departed the post just three months after guiding Curacao to qualification, stepping down to prioritize care for his daughter who was facing a serious health crisis. Dutch football journalist reports now indicate that Advocaat only agreed to the comeback after seeing a significant improvement in his daughter’s condition, clearing the way for him to rejoin the national side’s World Cup preparations.

Following Advocaat’s exit earlier this year, the FFK hired another experienced Dutch tactician, 63-year-old Fred Rutten, to take over the role ahead of the tournament. But Rutten’s tenure quickly unraveled after two lopsided friendly losses in March that exposed clear gaps in the team’s performance under his leadership: Curacao fell 5-1 to Australia (another 2026 World Cup qualifier entrant) and suffered a 2-0 shutout defeat to China.

After what the FFK described as “constructive discussions” among federation leadership, Rutten formally submitted his resignation on Monday, opening the door for Advocaat’s unexpected return. The move brings Curacao’s World Cup campaign back into the hands of the manager who built the qualified squad, ending a period of uncertainty that had rocked the small Caribbean nation’s preparations for their debut on the world’s biggest football stage.

In a surprising shake-up to Jamaica’s top-ranked schoolboy football program, Kingston College (KC) has cut ties with technical director Vassell Reynolds, elevating former Under-16 head coach Jermaine Miller to take command of the school’s Under-19 squad ahead of the upcoming competitive season.

Reynolds stepped into the role at KC back in 2023, inheriting a program in deep crisis. A mass exodus of 16 veteran players to rival institutions had left the roster severely depleted, leaving many observers writing off KC’s competitive prospects for the foreseeable future. Defying all early expectations, the experienced coach steered his undermanned side to the semifinal round of both the coveted Manning Cup and Champions Cup competitions in his debut campaign. Building on that momentum, he delivered historic silverware to the school in 2024, leading KC to capture both the Manning Cup title and the all-island Olivier Shield, one of the most impressive underdog runs in recent Jamaican schoolboy football history.

The 2025 campaign, however, would prove to be Reynolds’ final season at the helm, and it fell short of the high bar set the year prior. KC exited the Manning Cup in the second round, dropping into the secondary Walker Cup competition, where the team was eliminated in the semifinal stage. This mid-season exit came in the third and final year of Reynolds’ original contract with the institution.

Across his decades-long coaching career, Reynolds has cemented his status as one of the most decorated leaders in Jamaican schoolboy football. Prior to his tenure at KC, he claimed the daCosta Cup title with Ruseas High in 2017, won the 2007 Under-16 All-Island crown with Wolmer’s, and added both the 2015 Walker Cup and 2016 Flow Cup titles to his trophy case during his time with Wolmer’s. He also made history in 2012, leading Hydel High to their first-ever Manning Cup final appearance.

Off the school pitch, Reynolds holds key roles with Jamaica’s national youth program: he currently serves as assistant coach of the National Under-17 team, a position that will see him travel to the FIFA U-17 World Cup this coming November, and he is also head coach of the National Under-15 squad.

According to reporting from Observer sources, the decision to part ways stemmed from unmet expectations from KC’s management team, who were far more impressed by the performance of Miller during his time leading the school’s Under-16 program. Miller earned high praise for the attacking, entertaining brand of football he deployed to guide the Under-16 squad to the 2025 national final, where they ultimately fell to Jamaica College.

Miller, a qualified coach with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education, built his playing career at his alma mater Morant Bay High before going on to compete for a half-dozen top-flight Jamaica Premier League clubs, including Harbour View, Waterhouse, Arnett Gardens, Yallahs FC, and Rivoli United. He launched his coaching career in 2011, holding an assistant coaching role at St Jago before taking the top job at St Catherine High in 2015. He joined KC’s staff in 2023, brought on as Reynolds’ assistant head coach ahead of the 2023 campaign.