Nicholas building for the future at Tivoli Gardens High

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tivoli Gardens High head coach Christopher Nicholas is taking a patient approach to this season’s Manning Cup campaign as he looks to rebuild the school’s football programme for the future. Nicholas, a former standout player for the school, who went on to represent Tivoli Gardens FC and Jamaica, admits his current squad is short on experience but believes the foundation is being laid for a stronger programme in the years ahead. “It’s a very young team this year because we’re really in a rebuilding process,” Nicholas said.

They’re very inexperienced, but I think they’re coming along well.” Tivoli Gardens are one of the 16 seeded teams this season, and they got a bye into the second round, where they were drawn in group three alongside powerhouse Kingston College, St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) and St George’s College. It will be a herculean task for the orange and black clad boys from West Kingston, especially with a young team being pitted against three teams capable of winning the Manning Cup As a result, Nicholas is not placing unrealistic expectations on his young charges this season. “I’m not expecting any big thing from them, but we’re building a very, very good programme for next year and the other year to come,” he said.

Tivoli Gardens have won the Manning Cup on only two occasions, in 1976 and 1999, and the last time they lifted the cup, Nicholas was the captain. Now some 27 years on, he is hoping to coach them to the title and return to the glory days. But that won’t be easy with what he deems a lack of financial and logistical support.

“We do get some help sometimes, especially from Seprod and Jamaica Power and other individuals who come along and try to do something, but we really need more,” Nicholas pointed out. “It’s a long season because it’s not just the Manning Cup. We’re talking about the Under-14, the Under-16 and even the girls, so we really need more hands on board to push the programme in the right direction,” he added.

Nicholas knows first-hand what it means to wear the Tivoli colours. During his schoolboy days, he was regarded as a special talent and, unlike most schoolboy players, was already competing at the senior level while representing Tivoli in the Manning Cup. “I was really one of those special talents,” he recalled.

“When I was playing, I was kind of above the s…