THE FA Cup final usually signals the end of the football season.But something new and exciting is coming to local football tonight when the Bermuda Hogges make their debut in the United Soccer League’s Second Division.

The brainchild of local businessman Paul Scope and former professionals Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne, the Hogges will kick off their 2007 season at the National Sports Centre with matches against the Harrisburg City Islanders tonight (8.00) and Sunday (1.00), taking the local game into unchartered waters with its first professional team.

It would have been easier for Goater and Lightbourne to sit back and enjoy retirement from the professional game, but both have a desire to improve football on the island and the emergence of the pro team will certainly take the game to new heights.

“The players and fans alike are well excited about it and realise this is history,” said Goater, the club’s president who, like head coach Lightbourne, is also registered as a player of the 23-man squad.

“The players are buzzing because they are starting to experience what Kyle and myself have experienced over the years.”

The bulk of the squad will be on pay-as-you-play deals with the Hogges — the exceptions being Damon Ming and Stephen Astwood who will be the two franchise players which rules them out of playing for local clubs during the local domestic season.

“The aim is in four or five years we can have everyone as a franchise player,” said Goater, who realises small steps have to be taken first. “I’m extremely excited, I’m like a kid again myself to know that Paul, Kyle and myself have pulled this off. I don’t think we really knew exactly what we were getting into until about three months ago when the fax and the phone started to ring and the e-mails started to come through.”

Goater has been back home less than a year but the plan for the club was created before that, he revealed.

“It started to gain momentum about a year-and-a-half ago,” he said. “All our kit and merchandise are sponsored by Aline. I was wearing their boots towards the end of the (last) season (with Southend) so the deal was done about a year ago. Once we sealed that deal we knew we had the kit available for the players.”

The Hogges will bring a professional environment to their matches at the National Sports Centre, including season ticket sales, advance ticket purchases, sponsorship and taking on Craig Tyrrell to be in charge of game-day operations.

“For those who have experienced professional arenas and events they will see the big difference,” said Goater.

“Over the coming months we’ll look to improve and get better and be more consistent with everything. That way we can produce a better product for the people, something they can truly be proud of and say ‘this is my team’.”

Suspensions brought on by last weekend’s red cards in the FA Cup final means Shaki Crockwell and Clevon Hill will miss tonight’s opener (Crockwell has been slapped with a two-match ban by the Hogges) which will rule him out of Sunday’s game, while Raymond Beach is sidelined through injury.Seion Darrell is on army duty abroad while Sammy DeGraff misses tonight’s match because of religious commitments, though he will be available for Sunday.

“I would have been on the bench anyway,” Goater stressed.

“I know come the day I’ll get excited as well and want to be out there but this whole venture is all about creating opportunities for Bermuda players. I’ve had my time, had my moments and yes I’ll be playing small parts in games but over the course of the season I’ll be playing less and less. That’s with things going according to plan, meaning we’re getting the results and things are going well. If I’m playing a lot it’s because we aren’t getting the results.”

Goater confirmed that Kwame Steede of Devonshire Cougars will be the team captain while Ming is the club captain. The players have had to adopt a different mindset to that of amateur footballers.

“The last couple of weeks we have reminded one or two guys who have come in late and now that we’ve put fines in place they have realised,” said Goater.

“I feel this bunch of guys are hungry, enthusiastic and want to prove the general public wrong, that they can’t make time, don’t want to work hard and are not fit. In my career I had that and wanted to prove people wrong. There are enough negatives motivating this bunch of guys.”

It is difficult to gauge the public’s reaction to the weekend games based on advance ticket sales because Bermudians, by nature, don’t usually buy tickets in advance for home matches.

‘It’s starting to pick up now and the word is starting to spread,” said Goater. “This is new to the Bermuda public and we’re bringing a whole new concept to them, but it (advance sales) is picking up and people are looking to get season tickets to be there every week and cheer the boys on.”

Scope travelled last weekend to have a look at Bermuda’s opponents, who drew their home game against Wilmington Hammerheads 1-1 in front of a sold-out crowd. The visitors scored the opener after just 10 seconds.

Harrisburg missed a penalty late in the first half before finally equalising in the dying moments of the half.

Head coach Lightbourne expects a competitive season in the league for the Hogges, which the former national team coach hopes will ultimately improve Bermuda football at the national level.

“From a coaching standpoint I would like to say to all the volunteers and people who are doing all the hard work behind the scenes, and that without all the sponsors this would not be possible and I would like to say thank you to all of them,” said Lightbourne.

“I think the team is excited, we’re going into unknown territory as far as the opposition, but Paul watched the opposition play and we do have an idea how they are going to play. We’re going to have a game plan in place.”

Added Lightbourne: “This has been a dream of ours, to see if we could have a professional organisation in Bermuda so hopefully we can improve football overall. That’s our main goal. Yes, it’s the Bermuda Hogges but also we are trying to raise the standard of football in general.

“There are clubs and coaches out there who are doing everything they can to help out and keep guys and girls on the straight and narrow so they are doing everything they can but with us playing on a regular basis with the best players on the island it makes it easier to see the development of the players and that’s one of the main goals.

“This is going to help whoever is in charge of the national team. Kenny (Thompson) can come and watch the games and see where he can improve his programme and when the national team plays we can also watch and see how we can also improve our team.”

Fatigue is one thing to be concerned as the players experience year-round football for the first time.

“We have to be careful with players who haven’t had a break and that we’re playing in the heat of the summer,” said Lightbourne.

“Fortunately we will have a break from May 10 to June 6 and that will work out pretty good. If need be we can give the guys a week off.”

Historic day for football