Bermuda is on top of the world when it comes to promoting junior squash, according to one of the sport's leading coaches.

Mike Way, who, among other things, is the coach of current world No. 4 Jonathan Power, has been on the Island with New Zealanders Mark and Julee Devoy conducting a summer camp for promising youngsters from the US, Canada and Bermuda.

Way, head of the Canadian National Squash Training Centre and a fully-certified, level-three coach with over 20 years experience, said he was mightily impressed with what he has seen while at the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association's Middle Road Courts and believes nowhere else on the planet can compare with what is going on here.

"I do not know all the details but I would say unequivocally that the programme must be, without question, the biggest junior programme in the world," he said paying tribute to work of director of squash Ross Triffitt and his team.

"The math to me is staggering. There were 6,000 kids who came through here last year to play squash. If you took that 6,000 as a percentage of the population of kids under 19, I don't know what it would work out to be, but it must be massive. I cannot imagine any other country in the world would even come close to the numbers of kids that come through this programme."

Way said he believed other nations could do far worse than to pay the Island a visit.

"Our national body should be coming to Bermuda and looking at what Ross has put together here and saying `How the heck can we duplicate this?' It is just mind-boggling," he said.

"Other national bodies should be looking at how the heck they (Bermuda) make it work. I know geographically you can look at it and say `Well, it's a small island'.

"However, there is only one squash club on the Island and they have four courts and they brought 6,000 kids through."

Way said in Toronto, where he is based, there are in the region of 50 squash clubs but what they are doing could not be compared to Bermuda.

He believed that was due to a number of factors.

"Squash is very healthy in Canada and it is going gang-busters in the States," he said. "But in the States it is a fairly elitist sport. It is not so much in Canada but it is a private club. But here the doors are open to absolutely anybody and everybody to come in and play.

"As you see these kids grow up you are going to see a huge cross-section of population involved. We have a lot of ethnic diversity in our squash in Canada and the same is true here and it is only going to grow."

Way said he believed Bermuda's pro-active stance was a reason why the sport was booming.

"They must have gone out to the schools and the education authority and put together a programme that brings the kids in. I don't know how they have done it, but they make it work and it really is quite remarkable," he said.

This would only benefit Bermuda on the world stage, he said.

"If you have got a big base of kids playing you are going to get more coming to the top," he said.

If you also factor in the Logic Bermuda Open Squash Tournament, which earlier this year attracted some of the world's premier players to these shores and is set to do so again next year, and the presence on the Island of World Champion David Palmer, then Bermuda's profile as a key location on the squash map will be raised even further and the youngsters will be the ones to benefit, said Way.

"Ross is putting together one of the biggest international professional tournaments here in March, a massive event which will get even more attention. Then you have Dave Palmer, the current world champion, who is on the Island right now, making Bermuda his home . . . internationally, people are already aware that Bermuda is on the squash map, in the next year to two years there is going to be a heck of a lot more awareness because it is just going to grow," Way said.

"From that kids get excited. And when they see the pros and the professional game, such a great spectacle when you can watch it live, for sure it will make them able to compete at a higher level."

However, Way said the Island could not sit back and take it easy. There were areas were work still needed to be done.

"What is fairly obvious is that they need more squash courts," he said. "There is a need to keep the junior programme growing. They may not be at saturation point right now but they are pretty darn close and if they had a bigger facility and more squash courts they would be able to do a heck of a lot more. I am pretty sure that is part of Ross' goal - to get all the kids on the court and then get some funding and put it back into the game and maybe expand the facility here."