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‘Geoffrey was an unsung hero’ - Tributes flow as Waterhouse FC get ready to honour former coach
February 25, 2025
Waterhouse Football Club continue to mourn the passing of their legendary former coach, Geoffrey Maxwell, who passed on Saturday.
Maxwell, who was 72 years old at the time of his passing, is being hailed as the pioneer of what Waterhouse Football Club is today.
Club chairman Bruce Bicknell described Maxwell as an unsung hero of the club and community.
"Geoffrey was an unsung hero. In the 1990s he was coach, president and everything for the team. They even won the league in 1998. He was really the pioneer of Waterhouse," he said.
"Later on we became friends and he was really phenomenal. We are going to miss him very much.
"We are in discussions about how we are going to honour him physically at the stadium. But we can't really reveal that as yet," Bicknell said.
He stated that within a week they will make those plans public.
"Because of what he meant to the club and the community, past, present and in the future, it is important that the kids in the community and the players know who is Geoffrey Maxwell," Bicknell commented.
Maxwell guided Waterhouse to promotion to the Premier League in 1996.
He led the club to Premier League title success in 1998 with a team that included players such as Kevin Lamey, the late Irvino English, Kirk Martin, Damion Powell, Kevin Eldemire and Boris Johnson, among others.
He implemented a 3-4-3 formation that was virtually unknown to Jamaica at the time and took the league by storm.
At the time, Waterhouse had one of the only fully-grassed surfaces in the league.
Present coach Marcel Gayle, who was still very much a teenager when he went under the wings of the legendary coach, witnessed his work up close and lists Maxwell as one of the greatest coaches that Jamaica has produced.
"Geoffrey Maxwell was one of the greatest coaches locally. He was my first mentor when I was a youth coming through the club. I coached at all levels and Geoffrey was there and some of the things he instilled I copied and made it my own," Gayle disclosed.
"To his family and loved ones, my condolences, and my heart goes out. His legend lives on. He was a class act and etched amongst the greats."
Gayle also pointed to Maxwell's tactical genius, as well as his humanitarianism in the community.
"He was a tactician at heart. The first time I learned 3-4-3 was 30 years ago when he brought that to Waterhouse. And in the 75th minute he would make two changes and bring on (speedsters) Alberto Fray or Leo Haughton and the game would change.
"Geoffrey did things outside of football to get his players up to maximum. He turned Drewsland into a fortress. The grass wasn't there and Geoffrey Maxwell instilled a grass pitch for us that when teams like Seba and Reno came here, the game would be over after 30 minutes."
"We should honour him because he was a pioneer, a leader, an uncle, a grandfather. We want something annual. We would like a statue or the stand named after him, or a youth competition in his name, something to resonate and to keep his name flying high," he said.
Former national midfielder and Waterhouse legend, Hugh 'Bingy' Blair, who is credited for bringing Maxwell to Waterhouse in the 90s, said Maxwell changed many lives within the Waterhouse club and community.
"He took care of the youths (players) and he took care of their families. The wall on the far side (of the stadium), Geoffrey is the one who got persons to build it. He got lights, he made our stadium one of the top stadiums in Jamaica and brought joy to the people every time," he recalled.
"When we saw him and told him we wanted him at Waterhouse, he never dissented. He was ready and took on the task and strengthened all of us. At the time we had no coach and the people took him with open arms and showed him love. I would love for him to get a truly proper send-off. He saw the needs of the people and he uplifted Waterhouse," Blair said.
"When Geoffrey came in the evenings, everybody got something when he went in his car back (trunk). The supporters would be here at training in the evening analysing and assessing players. Now it is just 'Fuzzy' (Gayle) and the players. But Waterhouse, JFF (Jamaica Football Federation) and KSAFA (Kingston and At Andrew Football Association) should show some recognition to this man."
During his playing days Maxwell represented Excelsior High School, Elletson Flats, Real Mona, Santos and Jamaica.
He was also Jamaica coach from 1988 to 1989, and again during Jamaica's 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
He also coached Santos, Harbour View, Tivoli Gardens, Arnett Gardens, St George's Sports Club, the Jamaica Defence Force, and Maverley/Hughenden.
On Sunday, Waterhouse defeated Portmore 1-0 at home in the Jamaica Premier League and both Bicknell and Gayle dedicated the win to Maxwell.
The day was also marked by a minute's silence in his honour before the start of the game.
