Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
NATIONAL PREMIER League (NPL) champion Waterhouse FC is still without a coach and pre-season training has already started, revealed club president Peter Hibbert.
"No we haven't a coach, but training has started already," Hibbert told The Gleaner.
However, Hibbert quickly pointed out that this situation is not a problem right now.
"We don't have a problem. We started worse than this last year and won the title."
Waterhouse, the 2000-06 champions, lost coach Wayne Fairclough who guided the team to a remarkable title-chasing victory over Harbour View. But the real problem for the champion is finding a qualified coach which Hibbert said is limited in the island.
Said Hibbert: "I am working on it and we are looking at different options. Of course you know it is limited."
He continued: "In the highest league in the country, coaches keep rotating. If you fail at one place, you can always go somewhere else to get a work. It doesn't matter.
"But Waterhouse have a way of building people. We have a way of making people famous, especially coaches," said Hibbert.
Top notch coach Geoffrey Maxwell led Waterhouse to their first NPL title in 1998 and since then a number of coaches have come and gone.
Last year Waterhouse started with Calvin Fitzgerald and ended with Wayne Fairclough. But the rotation of coaches for this season has already started.
Calvin Fitzgerald, who coached both Waterhouse, the eventual champion and Rivoli FC, which got relegated, is now in charge of Tivoli Gardens.
Lenworth Hyde Sr., who was at Portmore United, is now at the helm of Harbour View while Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey has returned to Arnett Gardens from Tivoli Gardens.
Christopher Bender, who coached at relegated Constant Spring last season, is at promoted August Town and Harold Thomas who is at newly-promoted Naggo Head, was at Rivoli last season.
Jerome Waite, who started last season at Arnett Gardens, finished at Negril FC which just failed to win promotion to the top league.
Westmoreland-based Reno FC has decided not to fall into the recycled coaching scheme with a coach who trained a team last year, opting for Peruvian Danilo Barriga who formerly coached MoBay team Seba United several seasons ago.
