The Bermuda Bowl, an annual game between two US college football teams scheduled this year for November 2, has been cancelled due to what officials are calling a "business decision.'' This year's game at National Stadium was to feature a pair of formidable Division I-AA teams -- Hofstra University Flying Dutchmen and the University of Rhode Island Rams -- in a non-conference match at National Stadium.

But after consulting with both teams, ISG Holdings, the event managers put in charge of the game by the Department of Tourism, decided to pull the plug in May because of poor ticket sales among school alumni and fans.

The Royal Gazette was only informed of the decision this week.

ISG, a Bermuda-registered exempt company headed by Robert Robustelli, is also the firm that handled the controversy-plagued International Senior Games in April. The Games, which recieved more than $150,000 from Tourism before funding was cut off, attracted fewer than one-quarter of the promised visitors amid complaints of poor promotion and mis-management.

Wayne Smith, Tourism's manager of sports promotions, said the decision to call off the Bermuda Bowl was not related to questions surrounding the Senior Games. He refused to comment when asked if ISG was still involved with Tourism.

Robustelli did not return messages left at his Connecticut office yesterday.

"We were pleased with the the last three Bermuda Bowls,'' said Smith, adding "everybody was disappointed'' when the decision was made not stage the 1996 game.

Under the deal with organisers, Tourism gave ISG funds to provide transportation and accommodations for coaches and players from both teams -- close to 150 people in total. Smith said this week he did not know how much was involved, although $75,000 has been mentioned in earlier reports.

In exchange, ISG "hoped to sell enough to make up that number ... the only way to cover the costs is if they sell enough ticket packages,'' to the team's followers, said Smith.

Ultimately, many fans found the cost of the packages too expensive and there wasn't enough time for ISG to sell them all.

Mike Ballweg, sports information director at Rhode Island, concurred, saying the cost of the packages was "50 percent more'' than what fans would ordinarily pay for a trip to Bermuda.

Finally in May, "everybody got together'' and decided to return the game to Hofstra Stadium, he added.

"It's disappointing. It was a vaction kind of game for us (and) a lot of fans were looking forward to it,'' said Ballweg. "It would've been a lot of fun.'' Ironically, the Bermuda Bowl may have been a victim of its own success.

While small US colleges with unimpressive records marked earlier games, this year's contest would have seen the arrival of two top collegiate football programmes. Rhode Island were 7-4 a year ago and have almost all their starters back for 1996 while Hofstra were 10-1 last year. Both are among the top Division 1-AA schools this year.

Last year's game between Holy Cross and Fordham attracted a crowd of less than 2,000 fans at National Stadium, although Smith said Tourism noted a "dramatic'' increase in the number of visitors to Bermuda during that period.

However, the costs of bringing in better teams rise because they -- in this case Hofstra -- have to be lured into giving up considerable gate receipts for home games, and also have larger support staffs.

ISG "had good vision with the Bermuda Bowl'' in terms of trying to bring in better teams each year, said Smith, adding it was "too early to say'' if the Bermuda Bowl would attempt a comeback for 1997.

FINAL WHISTLE -- Chris O'Leary (left) of Fordham attempts to get away from Holy Cross linebacker David Streeter during the 1995 Bermuda Bowl. The match may have been the last Bermuda Bowl following a decision by organisers not to repeat the annual fixture this year.