Somerset Bridge Recreation Club confirmed yesterday that Kenny Thompson had officially been appointed technical director of the First Division club?s football programme.

The former Bermuda Football Association (BFA) youth director and national coach has agreed to the terms of a four-year deal and will now be responsible for the day-to-day handling of football matters at the West End club.

?We can confirm that Kenny is onboard as our technical director and we are very happy. This is a sign that the club and the community as a whole are seeking to improve and transform a culture of mediocrity into one of professionalism,? stated SBRC president Marc Bean.

?To us Kenny is the best man in the Island for the job and a son of the soil. It?s no secret Kenny was born and raised within yards of the club. He also played for Somerset Bridge and previously coached here too.

?So it?s only natural for us to look within our community and find what resources we have to redevelop our own football programme ? and we didn?t have to look too far.

?We feel that we have in Kenny the best coach and football mind in the Island who can take our football to the next level and hopefully become a model for football and youth development in the Island.?

In addition to tending to administrative matters, Thompson has been appointed head coach of Somerset Eagles? First Division side and has also been given the task of implementing a ?grass roots? youth football programme at the club.

Thompson?s Youth Academy, meanwhile, has been relocated to White Hill Field and upgraded to an ?elite programme? for advanced footballers between the ages of 13 and 15.

?We know that not all of the youths in our community might be at that level in desire or skill. So we as a community will ensure that we have a youth programme for our own club to ensure the youth in our community are taken care of,? Bean added.

?Kenny has full control of the direction of the football programme and I?m sure he has a few persons he will bring onboard to assist him. And we already have a few members at the club who will assist in various ways.?

Thompson, who possesses the UEFA and United States Soccer Federation A and B licences and a bachelor of science degree in physical education, said he was delighted to be reunited with his former club and keen to get down to the serious business of resurrecting the club?s football programme which had ?fallen through the cracks? in recent years.

?I am very excited and looking forward to working again in the community where I was raised and still very much feel a part of,? Thompson told .

Thompson made his Premier Division debut at age 17 for Somerset Trojans where he won a Premier Division championship, Martonmere Cup, Dudley Eve and Friendship Trophy and then coached at the junior level before moving on to play and coach at Somerset Eagles.

Thompson also enjoyed a successful term as technical director and coach at North Village Community Club, winning Dudley Eve and FA Cup titles before joining ranks with the BFA in 2002.

?I am also looking forward to working along with the players and helping them to develop and enjoy the game of football,? he added. ?And also developing a programme that brings a sense of pride to the community.?

Thompson is a former head coach of Washington Soccer Club Rangers in Washington DC.