One of FIFA’s top technical consultants is on the Island to make a thorough assessment of the current football infrastructure.

Trinidadian Alvin Corneal will compile vital information for a report to be later used to formulate “productive” methods of raising local standards in the sport moving forward.

Corneal, who has represented his country of birth at national level, has been appointed by football’s world governing body to assist the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) in their efforts to lay the initial groundwork for the association’s ambitious six-year, multi-million dollar plan to take football in Bermuda to unparalleled heights.

During his nearly week-long stay in Bermuda, Corneal will hold discussions with Ministry of Sport and Education and BFA officials as well as football coaches and club executives. He has also been given the task of developing both short and long -term technical objectives and personally inspect conditions at local football venues among a host of other related commitments while leaving no stone unturned.

Corneal said: “I think we understand fully that Bermuda is in its amateur status in terms of participation in the game of football. It certainly needs a different approach to the professional countries and because of this FIFA felt that it was necessary to make an assessment on what actually exists and what is actually practised in Bermuda and try and fit it in with a development programme that is going to be very positive and very progressive.

“Since I’ve been here I understand the emphasis seems to be on the question of a technical director. But the most important function that I have is to offer technical direction as to where the game can go and how we get it there.

“The fact that we consider Bermuda as an amateur football country could have changed over the past few weeks simply because of the fact that when (considerable) money is invested into a sport it becomes a business and all of a sudden those who are volunteering their services have got to now understand that there’s a need for a professional approach in every aspect of the game whether it is technical, administrative, psychological, sociological or otherwise.

“This turns a new leaf on Bermuda football and I am looking at it in the context of developing an attitude to the game, a certain level of maturity and developing a new coaching programme which can satisfy the needs of the Bermudian people.”

One area the Trinidadian intends to specifically target is football at the grassroots level domestically during his visit — an area he deems central to the development of any country.

“We have to develop a young generation who is matured and taught to be well disciplined to themselves, delligent and committed, and help them to understand values and all of that is part of the technical side,”

Corneal added. “A lot of people think that the technical side of the game is what you do on the field alone. But it’s not really that — it’s a lot more than that.

“You simply have to start from the youth programmes and work towards the national programmes and the situation in Bermuda is not different from some of the other territories in the region. And when we look at the sort of development process, especially in areas in the Caribbean, we definitely see a dividing line between the development through the schools system and the development through the community system and I realise this maybe one of the big areas of concern.

“So there is need for good co-operation and cohesive discussions between the football association, the technocrats on the field, the Government and some of the other stake holders who will also have to work towards the development of the game.

This is what this programme is going to do. I’m going to have discussions with the Ministry (Ministry of Sport), discussions with the Minister (Randy Horton), discussions with the technical committee (BFA), the executive committee and the clubs and coaches. After which we will determine what’s the best way to go.

“I’m going to work at it and take all of the information I can and speak to as many people as I can. I come here with no premonition. I have come here to understand what is existing in Bermuda and if I don’t understand what is existing then I won’t be able to help.”

The former Trinidad striker and North Carolina State University head coach also encouraged the BFA to establish the direction it intends to take local football technically before hiring a full-time technical director best suited to adhere to the plans who shares the same vision.

“Because the emphasis here seems to be so much on technical you may miss the point and believe that it is only technical — but it’s not because the administrative base will determine the direction of the technical side of the game,” he noted.

“The intention is to develop a productive method of getting forward. And the stakeholders, administrators, Government and the technocrats will all have to sit and determine the direction to go.”

Bermuda Football Association (BFA) wishes to remind all registered players that today is the deadline for applications for the BFA Legends Scholarship programme.