6 days ago
8
VAUXHALL HIGH School head coach Kyle Butler says one of his main goals is to bring a winning mentality and a strong sense of school pride within his team’s Manning Cup programme.
No stranger to schoolboy football following his time as a part of Mona High’s coaching staff, Butler said he has settled in well in his new role.
“Early days, but I have seen a lot of positives for sure,” he said.
“We have a lot of talent here. The talent pool is great and the foundation is great.”
Butler said one of his first aims is to bring a new sense of pride and self-esteem to a programme which has not seen much success.
Vauxhall have never won a schoolboy football title and more often than not, have struggled to make it past the first round.
Butler hopes he can lead the transformation to create a competitive programme, which is able to challenge for titles.
“We have had a lot of work when it comes on to fixing the mentality, self-esteem and establishing school pride,” he said.
“As time goes on, the boys are starting to believe more. We’re giving them more exposure and just treating them like professionals by bringing a professional environment for them to thrive in.”
Butler continued, “Our long-term goal is to establish school pride and for kids in grade six to want to come to Vauxhall. We believe in improving the environment and creating different programmes for the school.”
With the transformation seen at Mona High over the past few years, Butler is aware a lot of eyes will be on Vauxhall to see if they can rise to the occasion.
While confident his players will show their quality in the seasons to come, Butler said he will bear the weight of expectations instead of his impressionable players.
“I feel we can handle the expectations and the pressure. We want to compete and go as far as we can this season; and all our boys can play again for next season. So next season is really when we’re looking to go for the win,” he said.
“But I don’t want them to pressure the boys. I’d rather all the responsibility and pressure to go on myself, because I want the boys to feel free and express themselves. They’re kids with a lot to learn from inner-city backgrounds, so we don’t want to add any more pressure than what they’re already going through.”
Vauxhall will begin their Manning Cup campaign in Zone C of the first round, where they will face Jamaica College, St Andrew Technical High School, Camperdown High, Edith Dalton James High, Greater Portmore High, Spanish Town High, and St Mary’s College.
English (US) ·