SAO PAULO, Brazil — There was a time in Jamaica’s football when coaches were multi-task with playing managers, trainers and even masseuses. Today, with a more professional environment, roles are delegated to specific individuals allowing the head coaches to focus on tactical aspects of the business.

The fitness of players is critical to any team, but the fitness or physical trainers are normally unsung heroes, left in the background — unknown for the most part.

However, in Andre Waugh Jamaica has found a fitness trainer that is taking it to another level scientifically. He is responsible, not only for the physical development, but the technical development of the players.

“I believe what I bring different is my ambition to do things differently. I certainly don’t intend to coach the way I was coached. I certainly want to ensure that when I leave this game the face of the profession would have changed,” Waugh told the Observer.

He added: “My appreciation for sport science coupled with my professional experience at Portmore United provides a firm foundation from which I operate”.

Waugh, 29, has a Bsc in Physical Education and Sports from International School of Physical Education and Sports, in Cuba. He is a former head boy of Jonathan Grant between 1996-97 and currently head of the physical education department at Ascot High School for the last two years, and has been employed by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) since September 2010.

“The opportunity to represent one’s country in any capacity is certainly an honour. As a lover of football, I am humbled by the fact that today I work with the people I grew up admiring, trying to achieve the same goals,” Waugh noted.

Physical fitness, Waugh says, is more than just exercise, it’s a science.

“In modern day, sport data is critical. The data collected are analysed with the intention of identifying any possible trend in the short term and long term… it assists in making informed decisions, not only on the collective, but also on individual players,” he explained.

“Apart from game related statistics, I also collate data related to the physical development of players. This will allow us to monitor players’ fitness levels over time,” Waugh added.

Waugh, who was part of Jamaica’s 2010 Digicel Caribbean Cup-winning team and is currently in Brazil with the Under-17s, has won the hearts of his colleagues at the JFF, including team manager Roy Simpson.

“He is an added component in our preparations. Even his whole scientific and professional approach in regards to the physical evaluation of the players with the introduction of a battery of fitness tests, and to a lesser extend, his whole physiological approach,” said Simpson, who is also on assignment in Brazil.

Waugh, who is also a certified coach, would love to see a system implemented in Jamaica that would do justice to the talents that exist locally.

“The more I travel, the more I realise that it is the developmental system that continues to fail our players and not necessarily their talents. The JFF is trying its best to correct this with the construction of its technical centre and the implementation of the coaching school.”

“However, there is a greater role for the government and the private sector to play. Football is big business so I am sure there is financial and social benefits for all to gain… modern day football is more than just a field, a ball, a coach and players,” said Waugh.