Within the next five years or so when their soccer careers are over, both Kyle Lightbourne and Shaun Goater are likely to return to Bermuda.

But while Shaun's wife Anita is looking forward to that day, Rosemarie Lightbourne isn't quite ready.

She has been away from Bermuda since 1988 when she went to school in Canada and, like Anita, has seen Bermuda change in the ten years she has been living in England. "It will take persuasion to get me back whereas Kyle would be home tomorrow," said Rosemarie. "And if Shaun says lets go home, I'm packing my bags the next day," Anita added.

"I want to be home. Everyone says `why do you want to come home' and I say `why not'. I think Bermudians are the luckiest people in the world. There are minuses and pluses and you have to pay to live in paradise. It's very expensive and small, but that's okay. Family means a lot to me and those are the things that matter to me."

Said Rosemarie: "I have been away since 1988, teaching is my profession and I see my children in the education system that they are in and I'm happy with their progress. My ultimate decision is down to the happiness of my children and that is what I'll base my decision on.

"I think the transition is not going to be easy, it's the little things I see when we come home. When we left Bermuda ten years ago there was a suitcase of (Bermuda) things that I needed to live in England and every time somebody came up I would say `I need you to bring me these things'.

"But now when I come home I have a suitcase full of things I need from England."

Anita admits she and Shaun will likely keep their home in England "just in case".

"It took me a long time to adjust to the English way of life, so I can adjust back to the Bermuda way of life," she believes. "I know there are some things I'm going to have to let go and accept this is how it works here. We're going to keep our house in England just in case it doesn't work out."

Rosemarie keeps busy with community work and working part-time. She is always busy and Anita tells her she needs to slow down. "If I was here I would be doing the exact same things," Rosemarie admits. "England is home now and I've got things to do, meetings, barbeques, things to organise and they are waiting for me to come back.

"The island has changed but it's people like us who have been away who have experienced change who need to come back and give back to the island and make the changes we feel need to be made."

Said Mrs. Goater: "There are a lot of young people like us and I don't think we should all get up and leave our island. We should all come back and make it work.

"At home (in England) I'm used to having a schedule but here you live day to day. I guess it's because we're living with family and out of suitcases."

The two women have become firm friends over the last decade. The fact that they have never lived more than 90 minutes away means that the families see each other often, though that has changed since they had the children.

"Rose is one of those people I always go to for advice," Anita revealed. "If I have a problem and need to make a decision I call Rose and she helps me out. Before we had the girls we used to see each other all the time."

Said Rosemarie: "I can't believe we've been in England for ten years. I didn't have any expectations when we went and that made a difference."

They will be the first to admit it wasn't easy during the early years. "When Shaun was first playing for Rotherham he was making `no money' and I couldn't work because it was illegal," Anita recalled. "I used to pay ?35 for our groceries and I couldn't go over that amount. I had to go to the market to buy my fruits and vegetables and had to go to the low cost supermarket and I remember us juggling our money.

"I'm sure most people wouldn't put up with what Shaun and Kyle had to put up with or what we had to put up with when living there."

Added Rosemarie: "When we went over the money we were on was nothing, but we were happy. We used to sit down when we got together and have that dream of being on even half of the money we are on now.

"Anybody who leaves the island to achieve something that was a dream of theirs is a success. The mere fact that you have got a dream or desire to play professionally, once you've done that, no matter on what level, you have been successful."