From Premier League to travelling barber

ROSEND, St Mary — Former forward for Molynes United Football Club, Richard “Richcut” Gooden no longer aims for the back of the net but he still has his sights firmly fixed on a goal. He wants to give 1,000 free haircuts to young boys, a gift as they enter a new stage of their academic journey.

Each graduation season he travels to various primary schools across St Mary, giving haircuts before graduation photos are taken. The 27-year-old estimates that he has given more than 150 free haircuts to students since he reinvented himself as the travelling barber in June of 2025. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. Wide smiles fill the faces of many youngsters in his hometown of Rosend when they see Gooden coming, his bag filled with the tools of his trade casually slung over his shoulder. And he has an impressive stack of certificates of appreciation from schools whose students have benefitted from his skilful hands and good heart.

“I know what it feels like for poor parents to struggle to find $1,500 for a haircut before the picture,” Gooden told the Jamaica Observer.