THE concept of Bermuda?s national soccer team competing in a US professional league is, in theory, a sound one.

Whether, in reality, it can work remains to be seen.

Cash and commitment might ultimately be the two words that will shape the team?s destiny.

As we?ve seen with the national cricket team preparing for next year?s World Cup, it?s taken a huge injection of cash ? most of it from Government ? to ensure that they can compete at the next level.

And the players themselves have quickly discovered that the leap from domestic cricket to semi-professional entails a whole new kind of commitment ? endless hours of training, weeks of travelling overseas, all at the expense of family and employers.

But that?s what semi-professional sport these days entails. And if national coach Kyle Lightbourne and his team are prepared for the inevitable pitfalls, then they should push ahead.

The proposal, in which Lightbourne, his assistant Paul Scope and recently retired pro Shaun Goater are all involved, calls for the national team ? playing under a different name ? to compete in the second division of the United States Soccer League (USL) next year.

Should their application be accepted, Bermuda would play as many as 20 matches over the summer ? half at home and half at cities across the US.

The benefits for the players are obvious ? far more competition than the national team are currently exposed to, and the opportunity to improve standards by playing at a higher level on a regular basis.

Yet the plan to pay at least four of the players full-time and the rest part-time, combined with the cost of air travel and accommodation, makes it an expensive venture.

And much could depend on what sponsorship becomes available and whether Government, having pumped $11 million into one national sport over a five-year period, is now willing to help the other to a similar tune.

A decision on where the team play their home games would also have to be made. National Sports Centre would be the obvious choice, but the high cost of hiring that facility, even for national teams, might not make that a viable proposition.

At full strength, Bermuda?s national team might contain a number of young players either already at college overseas or heading in that direction. But under college eligibility rules they?d be excluded from playing in a professional league ? another drawback for those behind the plan.

However, all in all, the proposal deserves support ? not least from local fans whose attendance at home matches (hopefully far more than the 500 or so who turned up for Goater?s farewell game against Southend last week) could also have a major bearing on whether the plan succeeds.

For years, Bermuda?s national soccer programme has been drifting along aimlessly. When we enter World Cup qualifying and other regional tournaments, inevitably the team are under-prepared.

And that?s not necessarily the fault of Bermuda Football Association. Our isolation from a geographical perspective has meant that bringing in quality teams from overseas or travelling abroad to prepare has stretched the BFA?s budget beyond its means.

With the BFA working hand in hand with the group behind the proposal, with the USL and with league sponsors, they might be able to overcome that hurdle.

Certainly if Puerto Rico can make it work ? they already have a team in the league ? then there?s no reason why Bermuda can?t follow suit.