compensate for the $129,275 loss suffered last season and to promote soccer at the various levels.

According to treasurer Kent Bascome it is imperative that the governing body take immediate steps to ensure that the domestic programme is adequately funded from club level to national level, covering all age groups.

In his end-of-the-season report, Bascome, who was one of the first executive members to threaten to resign during the association's long leadership dispute unless there was a noticeable policy change, singled out the importance of promoting the sport and putting controls and close scrutiny on financing at all levels.

"The BFA, together with its affiliates, faces a major task ahead in regards to promoting football within the realm of corporate Bermuda, Government and the public at large,'' wrote Bascome.

"We must take measures to ensure our domestic programmes are adequately funded from the club level to the national level, and from the junior divisions to the senior divisions.

"This all starts by ensuring proper controls are in place at our club grounds to maximise gate receipts during the regular season, and to make the atmosphere one in which a family would want to come and watch a football game.'' A year ago the BFA were feeling their financial woes with a season-ending deficit of $70,000. Executives attributed the loss to national team tours of Germany, Jamaica, United States and Argentina combined with the heavy legal fees directly related to the Miami Seven drugs incident.

Over the past season, however, the excess of expenses over revenue by a far greater margin has been attributed to the following: The out of court settlement with former Technical Director Burkhard Ziese which amounted to $51,752 plus related legal fees of approximately $20,000.

The BFA suffering a loss on the Pan-Am Games and Costa Rica tour to the tune of $44,000.

Funding the Youth Camp which amounted to $18,000.

Bascome had stressed the importance of organising an efficient fund-raising programme and noted that one was now in place with Larry Mussenden and his committee already having raised money to cover the successful Youth International Tournament held in Bermuda last month.

"The BFA earnestly needs to focus on this year and reinstitute a bona fide International Committee responsible for sponsorship, fundraising and liasoning with the coaching committee.

"I am glad to report that the BFA has established a successful team of professionals to fill that role as our Sponsorship and Fundraising Committee.

This team is spearheaded by Larry Mussenden. The first fruits of this team's efforts were visibly seen in the recent Bermuda Under-17 International Youth Tournament, wherein over $100,000 was raised to underwrite the cost,'' said Bascome.

While revealing that the committee would address fundraising ventures to aid the domestic programme, Bascome also indicated that the BFA must look at other ways of raising money besides gate receipts and government grants.

He noted that gate receipts had declined from the previous year and budget constraints had forced the government grant to be scaled down over recent years while the BFA's operating costs continued to remain fixed.