matches will probably be met with mixed feelings by most fans of the game.

The moves -- which will include screening of known trouble-makers, video monitoring and increased supervision of crowds -- should be welcomed as a step towards restoring good behaviour at soccer games.

But the fact these steps have had to be taken at all is an indictment on the state of the game, and as the BFA has said repeatedly, Bermuda society as a whole.

The problems of youth violence will have to be solved in a wider arena than football, and to this end, Youth and Sport Minister Tim Smith's proposed youth schemes in the West End are to be welcomed.

In the meantime, the BFA's crackdown -- if it is properly enforced -- should go some way to restoring the Island's most popular sport to the point where families will feel safe to attend games, something that has not happened in a long time.

Larger and more peaceful crowds could also have the effect of putting more money in the pockets of the soccer clubs and the BFA, enabling them to improve the quality of the sport as a whole.

It could also reduce the sport's dependence on tobacco and alcohol sales and sponsorship which send the wrong message to the young. If all of that happens, it is surely to the good.

CHILD SAFETY EDT Child safety The proposals by the Women's Resource Centre to prevent people who have been convicted of sex offences from being employed in schools are a step in the right direction towards protecting our children.

While the plans are still in the formative stage, and may create some controversy over the potential violation of the human rights of past offenders, advocates of the proposal are right to put the safety of children first.

Too little is known about child molestation -- and the success of treatment of past offenders -- for anyone to say that children will be safe in their care.

Until more is known, the safety of children should be put ahead of the rights of past offenders.