Cornwall College new coach takes aim at creating good young men

When Cornwall College kicks off a new ISSA schoolboy football season, newly appointed head coach Leacroft Lettman hopes to honour the school’s rich football tradition while focusing on combining past tactical strengths with his own values to restore Cornwall College’s championship success.

Tasked with guiding one of Jamaica’s most successful schoolboy football programmes, Lettman believes lasting success will come not only from winning matches, but also from shaping young men on and off the field.

Lettman discussed the importance of looking at the school’s history and building on the successes of previous coaches

“We have to look at the history of what I’ve known through Steve Bucknor, our great leader and Dr Dean Weatherly, who moulded the school for over 20 years. We have to look at what they have done in the past and then build on that,” said Lettman.

Wealth of discipline

“That has come with a wealth of discipline, Dr Weatherly’s tactical side of play, added to what my value brings, then we’ll bear fruit at the end,” added Lettman.

Last season, the many-time champions, after clawing their way into the quarter-finals, saw their ISSA daCosta Cup title run ended when they missed semi-final contention despite a 1-1 draw with Glenmuir High School in their closing quarter-final match. Going into the fixture, Glenmuir were on six points and just needed a point to make it to the final four, while Cornwall were on three.

It has been 10 years since Cornwall has won a daCosta Cup title.

In the ISSA Ben Francis Cup knockout competition, Clarendon College lifted their fifth title when they defeated Cornwall 2-1 in a thrilling encounter at the National Stadium.

A proud former student, he represented Cornwall in two daCosta Cup finals, winning the championship in 1993 and finishing as runners-up after reaching the final again in 1995.

“This is like a dream and my passion for the love of football. I want to be that person who makes that change,” Lettman said, who is happy for the opportunity.

Lettman coached the under-16 team for four years, leading them to three championships.

Cornwall captured the 2026 ISSA/Burger King Rural U16 title when they whipped Glenmuir High 4-1 at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).

As pre-season gets ready, Lettman is focused on team bonding, discipline and all-round personal development.

“When you go into an institution or a club setting, you will familiarise what was there before and then build on it. The history has presented itself with the growth of the players throughout. What was left off, we’re going to add to it,” Lettman said, noting there will be more bonding, togetherness and understanding of each other.

“I use the sporting discipline for life and, once you’re disciplined in getting to training, then it teaches and guides you throughout your life lesson. It is just a holistic approach of discipline to achieve,” added Lettman.

The 130-year-old institution has won 31 titles in schoolboy football. These include 12 daCosta Cup, seven Ben Francis KO, and 12 Olivier Shield titles.

With the major change for the Manning and daCosta Cup, Walker Cup, and Ben Francis Cup competitions, the upcoming season will see Cornwall among 16 seeded teams for each competition, based on their results from last year.

The unseeded teams will begin their campaign in the first round for a chance to advance to the second round and join seeded teams.

In the new format, every team will enter their respective knockout competitions with the caveat that they competed in last year’s competition and registered a win.