Here we go again, another familiar debate regarding our national cricketers.Moving on from the questions unanswered regarding the head coach, yet again we are deliberating over whether the cricketers should be allowed to play football while training with the national cricket squad.The concern that has ignited the discussion is injury. Should our limited pool of cricketers be allowed to play football while preparing for the upcoming do-or-die tournament? Should they have the right to make their own choice?This issue has been discussed, debated, argued and disputed since I first joined the squad way back in 1994. Back then the situation was made clear, either you stopped playing football or your name was withdrawn from the squad.It was clear cut, one or the other, no in-betweens. One player opted to test the waters and played in a commercial league football game. He was immediately removed from the squad, no questions asked and no lobbying for his rights. Is this the right way to go about it?As children, the ambition to play both football and cricket is no different than what is the norm in England. However, as the children grow into budding sportsmen and realise that they wish to pursue more than just a recreational game, they channel their efforts in one sport or the other, not both.In reality it becomes a forced choice because the football season in England runs through the start of the cricket season when you reach the competitive leagues. Here in Bermuda the two seasons are completely separate thus creating the hunger to play both. In addition, on our local shores we do not have professional sports leagues, which in essence keeps us locked into the amateur mentality. I personally feel with this major tournament pending that players should commit fully to the cricket programme and not play football. What incentives should be put on the table to encourage this professional mentality?Is the answer semi-professional? I can almost hear the comments — all they want is money, money and more money, so my question is this. If players are asked to commit four out of seven nights to training plus weekends shouldn’t they be compensated? Technically it is a full time commitment and families and significant others would support the cause if it helps to bring home the bacon. The time that is needed to be successful warrants full-time commitment and like it or not, after a full day’s work in their normal careers, this is a second job and they deserved to be compensated.The hierarchy of the Bermuda Cricket Bermuda warrants a full-time CEO, a full-time administrative staff and a full-time head coach. What is the point of having all of this if we continue to fall short in our performances? We need to do things differently as everyone else in the cricketing world has stepped up their game and realise that this is not just recreation.If we don’t have a viable national cricket programme then I guess the BCB need to make some redundancies like everyone else, or put the money where it should go — the product, that is the players.Proof of the natural demise of the BCB came when our team was demoted from Division 2 to Division 3. Quite a bit of funding was lost and sadly one employee lost her job. Now there is talk about taking on a local coach for the head coach post because financially we cannot afford to pay for an international coach. If we expect the same results from the local coach then why should his pay be so financially different? Or are we just trying to save the viability of the BCB office? Let’s put this all in perspective, invest in the players, and then they are employees of the BCB and they then will have to stick by rules, regulations, and expectations of the programme or be fired.At this point we know that the players are not employees of the BCB so I wonder if incentives are in place for the players for this tournament? Have the match fees and daily allowances been put in place yet, or will this be done at the last minute and then we are faced with angry players? Have winning bonuses been put in place? Some people may think these things are not needed, but they are things that motivate and drive players. Yes the will to win should be enough to motivate players, but incentives are given all around the world in sports for exceptional performances and big matches.What we have to realise is that the majority if not all of these players are hardworking young men and we are asking them for a massive sacrifice. Stop playing football and also train four days a week and not even receive gas money for their efforts, and at the end of the day in some cases not even make the team.The BCB and head coach Arnold Manders will most certainly be putting something in place that will ask the players to stop playing football and all are expected to abide by it.The onus then falls on the player to make a decision. There is no doubt that’s the right thing to do, but the BCB must make what they are asking look appealing and put something on the table as a reward for the team if they get promoted into Division 2. These things have to be done up front so that players know where they stand and what’s being presented. I recall the 2005 team being angered when they were given their prize money for qualifying for the World Cup. The sum of money that each player received showed a lack of respect of what was accomplished, a complete degradation, and the players should not have accepted it.To those players who are talented enough to play both football and cricket which do you believe? Will you get more joy out of winning a game in domestic football or helping your country qualify into Division 2? If you even have to think about it, then you do not need to be playing cricket for Bermuda.Players, if you have concerns then confront the BCB early to see what they have to put on the table. If you are not satisfied, then take the initiative and put a proposal forward to the BCB of what you deem to be fair. This tournament is massive and we must have our best players playing and in order for that to materialise everyone must be fully committed and secure and comfortable in the environment that they will be placed in.