One cup competition and the Commercial League will cease to exist next season leaving hundreds of footballers on the Island without a club, and threatening the future of historic competitions like the Dudley Eve Trophy and Martonmere Cup.

Bermuda Football Association technical director Derek Broadley has put forward a plan for the wholesale restructuring of the game arguing that a 'saturation of football' was hindering any improvement of the game in Bermuda.

Under the new plan, of the four cup competitions that Premier Division sides play during the season, only the FA Cup is guaranteed to remain next year, with either the Friendship Trophy, the Dudley Eve, or the Martonmere Cup facing the axe.

First Division clubs are also due to lose a cup competition and with all cups due to be made straight knockout affairs, the two contests that seem most at threat are the Dudley Eve and the Martonmere.

Of the 24 teams currently playing in the Commercial Leagues, there will be space for just 10 in an over-30s Masters League, and a maximum of 10 in a new Development League. However the Development League will largely be for players aged 17-23, with just three members of the side allowed to be over the age of 23.

As part of the plans that include the expansion of the Premier Division to 10 teams, the Masters League would be played on Sundays and operate independently of the BFA.

It would also include 10 teams, but would have no cup competition, which would deprive the FA Cup of some much-needed excitement.

Only last month, both MR Onions and Robin Hood came within minutes of upsetting North Village Rams and Devonshire Colts in the third round.

"This move just doesn't make sense to me," said MR Onions goalkeeper Adam Hopkin.

"From what I can see, it's going to leave a large number of the three hundred or so footballers who currently play in the Commercial Leagues without a competitive game of football next year and I think that's very sad.

"With the new structure I can't see any room for the majority of Commercial League players, who are talented footballers, but don't want the extra burden of training three times a week and trying to get into a regular playing spot on a First Division team.

"The Commercial A sides showed recently in the third round of the FA Cup that we are easily as good, if not better, than a number of the First Division sides, and can give a stern test to the Premier Division sides."