‘A year’s not enough’ - Coaches call for lengthier contracts

Camperdown High School basketball coach Nyron Hird says contracts for his those in his profession should be lengthened to more than just one year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted high school competitions this year with the cancellation of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships in March and the subsequent cancellation of all sporting competitions for the Christmas term. The 2020 Schoolboy Football season and basketball have been affected because of the cancellation.

Hird says that with coaches only signing yearly deals, it does not afford the job the professionalism that it deserves.

“Coaches get contracts for the duration of the season,” he said. “To be signing a yearly contract, every year you are signing a contract for maybe six months, four months, eight months period. That does not give a coach stability. It doesn’t give the job respect. You will never hear a child say that I want to be a coach in Jamaica.

“Most coaches do more than one job. Coaching is not the only income for some, but for some it’s the only income [and] at this time, they have nowhere to turn.”

Jamaica is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases since August which has now seen over 7,000 persons infected, bringing uncertainty to the status of high school sports for 2021.

Hydel High school football, and track and field coach, Corey Bennett, says that while he is in favour for more stability for coaches, schools are challenged with securing the proper financial resources.

“Schools have to make adjustments,” he said. “It would be good that everybody would be paid in a regular way. But I know that most schools are affected by what is happening. I believe that coaches should have assurances, but It’s hard for schools to give that because of what is out there.”