7/5/2006 10:34:00 AM The road we'll take to pro football
United Soccer League Division Two
Current champions: Charlotte Eagles
Top teams: Richmond Kickers, Harrisburg City Islanders, Long Island Roughriders.
Average crowds: Attendances range from around 800 up to 4,000
Format: There are nine teams in the division playing 20 matches a year. It is hoped that two more teams can be added. The season ends with play-offs. There is no promotion or relegation between the leagues.
League Mission: Develop players for the higher leagues and provide family entertainment.
Related competitions: The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup allows teams from Division Two to compete in a knockout competition with tougher competition from Division One.
Level: This is the third tier of American soccer behind USL Division One and Major League Soccer.
Bermuda is bidding to join the professional ranks in the U.S. with a view to competing across the pond next season.
We asked some of the key players how it would work, what needed to happen and what the likelihood was of the plan bearing fruit.
Gleaned from interviews with national team assistant Paul Scope, United Soccer Leagues vice-president Tim Holt and Bermuda striker Shaun Goater we've compiled a guide to the ambitious plan that could shape the future of Bermuda soccer.
What's the big idea?
The aim is to have a Bermuda team competing in the United Soccer League Division Two, (the third tier of American soccer) from next season.
It would be a club side, with a catchy American style name. One of the examples suggested so far was The Bermuda Hogs.
They would compete against teams from the U.S. in a 20-game season culminating in a play-off competition.
Why is it needed?
Bermuda currently draws the core of its national team from amateur players and expects them to be able to compete against teams like Trinidad & Tobago, which are wholly professional.
The team would mean Bermuda had players that were training all year round in a professional environment, and playing a minimum of 20 competitive games a year.
The team would provide an opportunity for the best players on the island, who had perhaps left the college system but not quite made it to pro level, to get exposure to regular high level competition.
It would also put them in the shop window, with the USL renowned as a breeding ground for Major League Soccer in the U.S..
Who would play for the team?
Top pros like Khano Smith and John Barry Nusum won't be expected to play for the team. They are already playing at a higher level in the States.
College players, of which Bermuda has around 20, won't be eligible for the team either as it would conflict with their 'amateur' status.
The team, selected by head coach Lightbourne, would therefore be made up of the best island-based players currently plying their trade in the local league. National team regulars like striker Stevie Astwood, midfielder Domico Coddington and goalkeeper Timmy Figureido are expected to form the nucleus of the squad.
Would they be fully paid professionals?
The details are still to be sorted but it is anticipated that a core group of four or five players would be taken on as fully fledged pros for the duration of the season.
Assistant national team coach Paul Scope, one of the men behind the plan, said the select few would be chosen on ability but would also be guys who could arrange their lives to do other work during the off-season.
The others, he said, would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
One option is to follow the format used by the cricket team with some players receiving match-fees and win bonuses. Sponsorship from employers in the form of time-off for trips to the States could also be utilized.
It is likely that contracted players would not be allowed to play for other clubs or take part in other sports without authorization of the team management.
Is it actually going to happen or is it just a dream?
The management team is optimistic and the prospects look good. Discussions with USL chiefs are advanced and the vice-president of the league told the Bermuda Sun this week that he was confident Bermuda would be involved sooner rather than later.
The league currently has nine teams and is looking to sanction two new franchises in time for the 2007 season.
For every new franchise it sanctions, the league receives around 20 applications. But he said discussions with Bermuda had gone well beyond the 'one in 20' stage and he wanted them to be part of the league.
But he said they would need to prove they could make a long-term commitment of at least three years and had the business plan to make it work.
Scope said the discussions had been positive and the response from the USL had been amazing — "They are bending over backwards to try and help us," he added.
He said if the application was not successful in 2007, they would try again for 2008.
The league needs to sort out its '07 schedule by mid September and it is expected that a decision will have been made one way or the other in the next two months.
When would they play?
The league runs from April until August. Bermuda would play ten home games with the teams traveling here roughly every second weekend, depending on the schedule.
Away games are likely to be played consecutively over the course of a week on road-trips, as happens in baseball and other American sports.
This would cut down on travel costs for the Bermuda team, meaning they would have to make only three or four trips to the States every season to play their 10 away games.
Would it conflict with the Premier League or David Bascome's ISL?
There is actually no direct conflict with the local season. But the team would want to have its players available for pre-season, which would clash with the closing stages of the Premier Division, FA Cup and Friendship Trophy competitions.
Players whose teams were still involved in the hunt for honours would still be allowed to play for their regular club sides but the rest would be called up to the team. It would be worked out on a case-by-case basis.
Scope said he hoped the clubs would support the plan as it would improve the standard of football in Bermuda generally and their players would return for the following season much improved.
There is a direct clash, however, with David Bascome's new seven-a-side Island Soccer League.
But Scope said he didn't see that as a problem.
"We support David Bascome's initiative — it's going to clash from a timing point of view but we are going to have 20 players at most.
"He's got a whole league to do. He's going to run it professionally. It's going to improve the standard of football generally and I think it's going to be tremendous for the game.
"If we take 20 players and he has another 80 and is bringing them on and improving them, then the overall standard is going to go up. I think this is a golden time for Bermuda football."
Will Bermuda still try to get players at a higher level overseas?
Absolutely. The aim of the team is as a 'stepping stone' to bigger opportunities for all the players.
Anyone who has the chance to play at a higher level will be encouraged to do so.
Scope and Lightbourne will continue the 'ad-hoc' work they do with individual players to try and get them contracts overseas.
Other projects to get younger players college scholarships and the BFA's youth programmes will also continue.
"It's a very exciting piece of the jigsaw, but that is what it is," says Scope. "It's not the be all and end all."
How will it be paid for?
The team would require substantial sponsorship and several companies have already shown an interest.
Gate receipts from games would also provide a small income.
Even with that it is expected to make a loss in its first year. Any profit made in subsequent years will be ploughed back into the development of the game.
What would Goater's involvement be?
The Goat would be the franchise manager in charge of the administration and business side of the team.
He may do some coaching but that won't be his primary role. He's taken a marketing course in England and is keen to get involved in that side of things.
Lightbourne will be head coach with Scope as his assistant.
Are there any other 'foreign' teams in the league?
The USL is made up largely of American and Canadian teams, but there is one other nation — Puerto Rico, who play in the first division.
The league defines itself as 'north American' and vice-president Tim Holt said he saw no reason why islands like Bermuda should not be added.
He said the Puerto Rico experience had been a positive one and was something they could look to replicate with Bermuda.
Scope said Bermuda had studied the Puerto Rico experience before making its approach.
"Their national programme was dead. By putting this team in the USL they've got it up and running again and are rising up the world rankings.
"They've become a popular destination for fans. It's the one away trip they all make sure they are on."
What would be the benefits to the island?
As well as improving our national sport it is hoped there would be spin-off benefits for tourism and socially.
Goater believes the team will help give young men in Bermuda something to work towards and aspire to and get them up from 'sitting on the wall'.
It is also hoped that it will provide a much needed boost to tourism with teams bringing in fans on a regular basis.
"I'm sure the fans would come down here and have a bit of a holiday with it — we'll get a lot of exposure. That's what happened with Puerto Rico," said Scope.
Fox Sports shows the end of season play-offs, promising even more exposure for Bermuda
From a football point of view it would take some financial pressure off the BFA by providing the team with 20-games a season.
It is also expected to generate renewed enthusiasm from the public for the national football team.
The last few games have attracted just a few hundred fans, but the prospect of regular competition with a title to play for should galvanize the footballing public.
