Thomas on the way up with McGrath

WHEN MCGRATH High School lifted the ISSA Ben Francis Knockout Cup football title, it was the first major schoolboy success for the St Catherine-based institution and also for coach Jermaine Thomas.

Thomas started his football-coaching journey with Rivoli Football Club where he spent three years, while teaching physical education at St Jago High School. He spent 11 years at St Jago.

“I was learning and developing as a young coach then, where I spent three years before going on to coach at Federal United, which participated in the St Catherine Major League,” explained Thomas.

The team reached the final in 2015-16.

Thomas was also coach of the St Catherine SportsMax Elite team in 2017-18, while also taking up duties at McGrath.

McGrath made it to the semi-finals of the daCosta Cup competition in 2019 and again in 2021, before winning the Ben Francis title this year.

Thomas is now a physical education lecturer at The Mico University College. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the G.C. Foster College of Sports and a master’s at the University of Technology.

He won a football title at the Marescaux Road-based Mico.

“I coached the Mico football team from 2020 to 2022 in the intercollegiate competition. In 2022, the team reached the semi-finals of that competition and were victorious in the knockout competition,” said Thomas.

Since winning his first title at McGrath, Thomas has had two major appointments.

He got his first national call-up when he was appointed assistant coach of the Reggae Girlz for their last two Gold Cup qualifiers in Jamaica and Guatemala, and was just recently appointed head coach of Molynes United Football Club in the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League.

In his first match in charge, his team lost 0-1 to Tivoli Gardens.

It was not the first time Thomas was involved in the Jamaica Premier League.

He was part of the Dunbeholden coaching staff in 2022. Dunbeholden made it to the quarter-finals of the Premier League and won the St Catherine knockout competition.

Thomas, a licensed Concacaf level three coach and, a few weeks ago, certified as a coach educator by FIFA/Concacaf, is yearning for more.

“I want to continue to learn more and develop holistically as a coach. I want to inspire and shape young minds.”