MUNRO, St Elizabeth — Patrick “Jackie” Walters, one of the most successful schoolboy football coaches, has taken on what he has described as a “challenge” as he takes over today as the new technical director of football at Munro College situated in the hills of St Elizabeth.

Walters, who has won daCosta Cup titles with Glenmuir High and Clarendon College as well as Manning Cup titles with Camperdown High, says he is planning on a holistic approach to football at the school that has not won the daCosta Cup in over 50 years.

“I want to start from the first formers, those who cannot make the school’s Under-14 team, and teach them the fundaments and basics of football; get them to use football to help build self-esteem and confidence,” Walters told the Jamaica Observer on Saturday.

Walters’ hiring, it appears, has been embraced by the entire school family. Elias Azan, president of the Munro College Old Boys’ Association, said they were “excited” by the veteran coach’s arrival at Munro College.

He said Walters would be buttressed by a “restructured management set-up” that they hope would see them return to some prominence.

While they have failed to win the daCosta Cup — the symbol of rural area schoolboys supremacy — since 1964 when they won their seventh title, Munro have won two rural area Under-16 titles and one Under-14 in the last four seasons, and this, Walters said, was proof that there was talent there that needs to be honed.

“The fact that they have been able to do well in the lower age groups tells me there is a problem there,” said Walter. He pointed out that while neighbours and rivals St Elizabeth Technical have dominated the daCosta Cup of late, the scores between the teams have not been that wide.

Walters notes that it was obvious that the players were not able to “make the transition”, but says he hopes his new system would help to change that.

He is under no delusions that things will be easy, as Munro College would have lost a number of players from their rural area Under-16 championship team as well as their daCosta Cup team from last season to Corporate Area Manning Cup schools.

Telroy Morgan, the first vice-president of the Munro College Old Boys’ Association, who also spoke to the Observer, also acknowledged the loss of the players, but noted the school has players of “equal or better quality at Munro” who would replace them.