Bermuda Football Association (BFA) have stepped in to cover costs for the visiting New England Revolution to train and play at the National Sports Centre (NSC), The Royal Gazette can reveal.

For the past few years local promoters Set Play have footed the bill to help the Major League Soccer giants to use the Prospect facility.

However, it was learned yesterday that Set Play had written to BFA president Larry Mussenden requesting the association to "take over" the Revs' current pre-season tour of Bermuda.

When contacted yesterday, Set Play co-owner and BFA technical committee member Clyde Best, explained: "We let the BFA take it over because Anthony (business partner Anthony Raynor) and I are busy working and it takes more than two people to do it.

"This year we didn't have the time and everybody is busy so we are not involved in it at all."

BFA general secretary David Sabir confirmed the association had agreed to fork up the $125 per hour tab for the Revs to train at the NSC and additional costs to have security police New England's two practice matches against Bermuda. It is understood 15 percent of all gate receipts will go directly to NSC trustees as well.

"What we were asked to do was to cover the training and costs to play the match (at NSC)," Sabir said.

Best declined to comment yesterday when asked whether or not his company had fallen on hard times financially.

However, last year in his weekly Mid Ocean Sports column, the former West Ham striker stated: "Quite honestly we are losing money on these tours because fans have not been coming out to the National Sports Centre.

"We have gone to a lot of effort to bring in these teams and I really want to urge people to come out and help us to pay the bills. We need assistance and hopefully people will answer the call. We always can use more help.

"We are losing money but we still want to put these tours on because it is good for the game here. We at Set Play are not in it for money ¿ let me make that perfectly clear. We just want to help football in Bermuda."

The visiting Revs thumped Bermuda 6-1 at the NSC last Saturday, with the two sides set to do battle again tomorrow night at the same venue.