Bermuda have more qualified soccer coaches than ever before - yet the standard of play continues to decline.

That's the opinion of former West Ham striker Clyde (Bunny) Best whose comments came on the heels of Bermuda Football Association director of youth Kenny Thompson describing the general attitude within the local football fraternity as "mediocre".

"We must understand that we are only amateur players and we are always going to be amateurs because we just don't have the infrastructure to enable us to sit up and act like professionals," said Best, now coaching at First Division club Ireland Rangers.

"It's always been that way in Bermuda . . . and it is wrong. We keep changing the rules and in life the rules don't change. We just keep making excuses."

Best believes it will take a team effort by everyone involved in the game to help lift standards.

"We as people in Bermuda have to learn how to come together and do what's best for the country," he said. "And it's not any individual nor the BFA - it's the country. If we can understand what national pride is then we shouldn't encounter any problems doing that.

"It's something that we as a people have to get over. We all have to support the national team, we all have to support the national programme and give the person who is in charge the utmost respect and all the help that we can give them. We all have to be in it together because not one person owns the game. Everybody who wants to be involved has a part to play."

The former Hammer said he understood what officials at the BFA had to go through, having himself served on the association in the capacity of technical director.

"When I was in charge of the BFA, if I picked someone from PHC and I didn't pick someone from Dandy Town then people would become annoyed instead of looking to see what's best for the country," he said. "If we can overcome that sort of attitude then there's absolutely no reason why we can't be successful.

"There's just so many issues that we as a country must come to grips with. We have to do what it is that is right for the game because it is very disheartening to look in the standings and see us placed where we are (183rd in the FIFA world rankings). It's disheartening and I know what football used to mean to me and what it did for us as a community."

Best said the players themselves had to keep their end of the bargain.

"They must become responsible and be willing to practice, rain, blow or shine," he said. "What is happening here now is that we have a lot of people who are only participating just for the sake of participating but don't really love it. And you must love it. If you really want to go anywhere in life you must love what it is that you are doing. And if they can't serve up quality football then nobody is going to come out and watch them play.

"They have to remember that people are paying to come out to watch them and so they in turn have a right to try and serve up something decent. Otherwise the fans are not going to come out and watch them play - regardless of what the price is.

"Bermuda once had great athletes but now it's as though they've suddenly disappeared. It's like someone said, `that's it for Bermuda . . . no more athletes!'"