the sport to improve and retake its place as a premier activity.

So says United States based professional David Bascome, a top player with Harrisburg Heat of the National Indoor Professional League.

Bascome said this week that local soccer had reached such depths it could only go forward, and he suggested that the local governing body look at total reconstruction from the ground up, involving players, coaches, clubs and administrators.

"It's like when you go to school, you start out with the basics, fundamentals of mathematics, English, and so on,'' said Bascome, who was allowed three days break by Harrisburg coach Richard Chinapoo to come to Bermuda and promote his soccer CD ROM.

"It's the same thing in soccer, we have to start from scratch, start all over. We can't go any deeper than where we are. We have to find a way, but it must be the right way in order to get back on top.

"I think sometimes we try to look at the final product and create that product without a proper foundation, but that's like trying to put a puzzle together without the pieces.

"Our biggest problem is that everybody knows where they want to go, but no one is willing to put their foot forward and build a solid structure.'' Another thing many are unwilling to concede, according to Bascome, is the fact that several mistakes have been made along the recent road of collapse.

And until such time that individuals and groups are willing to take responsibility for such actions -- or inaction -- swallow some pride and sensibly collaborate efforts towards a unified goal, local soccer will continue its stumble through the wilderness.

"It's going to take everybody coming together, put their hand up and admit that they messed up all this time, because they have to admit it first,'' said Bascome.

"They say that honesty is the best policy. If you're not honest with these players they lose respect. If you're not honest with the people who are coming in and supporting your games they're going to lose respect.

"You have to make a start and this is the time. We're out of the World Cup, but that could be a blessing, something that needed to happen. But are we going to go back and try to move forward?'' Of added concern to Bascome is the recently stated goal of the Bermuda Football Association to select a national coach in the near future, despite the lack of a national or domestic plan.

This the player intimated to be part and parcel of the process that has influenced soccer during its decline.

"It concerns me why we're looking for a national coach when we need a structured programme,'' said Bascome, who departed the Island yesterday. "Are we looking to go forward? "I'd rather see a technical director than see a coach put in place, somebody who's going to organise and pick somebody with the proper qualifications.

"You pick a national coach -- and I'm sure whoever's going up for the job will do a good job -- but my concern is that the technical director may not want a certain coach in a programme, and that's where you've got to be careful.

"To start going forward again we may have to take two steps back, take it slow.'' Bascome did credit several for their efforts in providing decent programmes with the limited funds they possess, and stressed that he was not seeking merely to criticise, but noted that more institutions needed to be schooled in the concept.

"I think we have to let some things go. It seems that everybody's so tight knit that, if it's not their idea, they don't want to be bothered with it.

"I'm glad to see clubs like North Village, Wolves, PHC and so on developing their clubs, but I think it's more than just that, you've got to show what you have, and you've got to feed everybody with it.''