Soccer at the high school level would appear to be akin to a car without wheels...or worse, one stuck in reverse.

For, while the sport remains a part of the general schools' curriculum, the game at the extra-curricular level breathes only via respirator.

Just three high schools have been able to field teams on a consistent basis, with the Island's largest, Cedarbridge Academy, notable by its absence from the once popular inter-school tournaments.

At present, only Saltus Grammar, Mount Saint Agnes and Berkeley Institute have teams involved in the league run by the Bermuda Schools Sports Federation (BSSF) -- Warwick Academy have also been unable to field a team. And even Berkeley failed to show for their last match against Saltus.

So dire is the situation that Saltus have not played since September 8...and it has nothing to do with the recent referees crisis.

In fact, Saltus' physical education head teacher, Jon Beard, realising the need for activity among his student/athletes, took his squad to Canada where they were able to play four matches in as many days.

Moreover, likely to fall victim to apparent apathy shown by youngsters in turning out for the schools is the annual High School All-Star match, an end-of-season feature that in the past provided a showcase for athletes, parents and fellow students, as well as attracting numerous overseas college and university scouts.

"It's a sad situation and it probably means that we will not have an All-Star game, because there's only three teams,'' said Beard, a long-serving member of the BSSF. "It's one of the things we're contemplating at the moment, because, to have an All-Star Game with 10 players from each school playing, which is a school team, that negates the idea of All-Star.

"No final decision has been made on it, but it's got to be kids that have been taking part in the inter-school competition... you can't just have kids show up for All-Star that have not been representing their school.'' BSSF administrator Manny Faria agreed, noting his bewilderment at the inability of a school such as Cedarbridge, with more than 1,000 among its student body, to field an 11-man team, after initially registering two sides for participation. And he added that the situation involved more than just soccer.

"I honestly don't know the reason why they cannot field teams,'' said Faria.

"For Cedarbridge it's happened for netball and volleyball this year, and in the past basketball.

"They've had problems putting teams out and finding enough players to show up for games. I find it hard to believe it's through a lack of interest with so many students up there...I'm sure they can find 11 people to play football.

"It's unfortunate, because this (soccer) is Bermuda's premier sport and it's going by the wayside, and there's really nothing we (BSSF) can do. We put the schedule out and it's then up to the schools to show up and play, unfortunately that's not happening.'' Department of Education P.E. head Clint Smith has long proclaimed sport to be an integral part of the schools curriculum, and Beard said that he was not looking to criticise Smith, nor the various P.E. teachers among Bermuda's schools.

"To be fair, he's talking about the P.E. situation, not the inter-school situation, which is something different...and I don't blame the teachers,'' added Beard. "What you've got is that a lot of the kids are able to play soccer in their clubs.

"Now, in the past the BFA has said that if the kids refuse to play for their school, then they're prepared to stop them playing for their clubs until such time that they do. But the schools have not approached the BFA regarding these sorts of things.

"I think at Cedarbridge, the teachers are prepared to do it, but the kids aren't prepared to go out and train.

"Again, I'm not blaming Cedarbridge... I'm not blaming anybody. I just think people need to be aware of the problem in schools.'' Reasons for the lack of participation on the part of the mega-school range from changes in the overall curriculum, apathy towards training, to teenage rebellion.

"The curriculum is different -- at least in Government schools -- than it used to be, in that I think that you do -- and I stand to be corrected -- all of your P.E. in one term.

"Not all three years are doing P.E. at the same time of the year, you may not do your P.E. until December 10. So teachers may not have a handle on who's actually playing football, and who's not.

"But their way of doing it, which is fair enough, I think is to have a sign up sheet for kids to sign up or don't sign up. However, my understanding is that, while they were getting enough kids to sign up to play, they weren't getting them to come out to training. And the staff, understandably, are not prepared to play kids who are not prepared to train.

"Also, you have the mentality that if I go to the clubs it's cool, if I play for the school it's not.'' Creating further consternation is the fact that middle schools continue to produce a booming programme of inter-school activity in all of the traditional sports.

"At middle school level it's still very strong,'' said Beard. "But those kids are going from middle school into Cedarbridge and there's nothing happening, which is strange.

"All five middle schools have strong, striving teams and then it just stops.

"With Cedarbridge, they're offered the chance to provide four teams -- one per house. Last year they had one team represent the whole school, but that's a little unfair on some of the smaller schools.

"This year they were supposed to have two, but it hasn't happened.

"It's a new school, a new situation and all the rest of it, and I'm certainly not blaming anybody up at Cedarbridge, but this is the situation we're in, which actually, once again, puts more emphasis on the clubs.

"Because, it's not happening in the inter-school situation -- and I must stress that soccer is still being taught at Cedarbridge -- at least not at the level it used to.'' Chairman of the BSSF soccer programme Devarr Boyles, who is also a P.E.

teacher at Cedarbridge, could not be reached for comment on the issue.