FOLLOWING his appointment as technical director of St George’s College, Andrew Price said it is a privilege and an honour to be given the task to lead his alma mater, 42 years after helping them win the schoolboy triple crown of the Manning Cup, Walker Cup and Olivier Shield.

Price was that tough-tackling, no-nonsense defender at the heart of the St George’s College team that dominated schoolboy football in 1983 and 1984.

Now he has been given the task of bringing back the glory days as the “Knights” have not tasted success in the Manning Cup since 2012 — and following a 13-year drought, long-time Coach Neville Bell resigned in December 2025.

“I believe I’m indeed privileged to be given this opportunity,” Price told the Jamaica Observer. “I follow in a long line of successful coaches at the institution. A lot of these coaches have influenced me over time with my game and the way I coach. Individuals such as Arthur Mackenzie, Bunny Goodison, Dennis Ziadie, Joseph Sanguinetti, Michael Walker, and Neville Bell.

“St George’s College has influenced me, so I am indeed elated that I’ve been asked by the school to take on the reins as the technical director,” he added.

Price comes with a wealth of experience, having coached Boys’ Town, Humble Lion, Calabar High, UWI Women, Mico University College, and served as an assistant coach to the Reggae Girlz when they first qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2019.

“And from my standpoint, I just want to create a culture and a paradigm shift where student athletes associated with the programme will want to play and participate with pride in making the institution [one with] a strong football programme,” Price said.

“But, of course, the main emphasis is on the students — and they have to work both on and off the field to be successful. That is how I measure my success, [it] is [by assessing] the holistic development of players.”

Price has been tasked with providing overall technical leadership for the school’s programme, overseeing the under-14, under-16 and under-19 teams.

He says he wants to align one philosophy, training methodology, player development and, most importantly, culture as the players matriculate.

“There will be a clear football philosophy,” he said. “I like to play an attacking possession game, but also with stout-hearted and disciplined defence.

“We just have to establish a philosophy in which the school plays so [that] when you look at all three teams, they play very similarly, and so we have to develop that philosophy for the school.

“We want to make better citizens of this country once they have graduated and matriculated through the football programme, and finally — for the 0.1 per cent — if they’re good enough to become professional players, but at the same time doing all of this while maintaining the fact that they are students first before athletes.”

Long-time Assistant Coach Marcel Gayle was expected to ascend to the head coaching position when Bell resigned, but with the school choosing Price the new technical director said he is willing to work with Gayle if he so desires.

“I am open, but it all depends on if he wants to continue,” Price said.

Howard Warner (left) of Eltham High School and St George’s College’s Danelle Waul battle for ball possession during an ISSA U-14 football match at Winchester Park in Kingston on Tuesday, February 3. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)