Five international soccer teams will visit Bermuda to play two games each against the Island's national team, if the Bermuda Football Association gets its way.

BFA general secretary David Sabir said he hoped to confirm fixtures with Canada, St. Lucia, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad within days.

Negotiations have been going on with the football associations of the five since Bermuda staged the four-nation Caribbean Cup qualifying tournament in May.

Sabir said the plan was to play a two-match series against each of the five countries between this month and November.

And he hoped to finalise the plans next week, when he and BFA president Neville Tyrrell travel to Los Angeles for a congress staged by soccer's world governing body FIFA.

Sabir said: "We are hoping to stage 10 matches in the space of four months.

That would be unprecedented and it confirms our commitment to the national programme.

"There is tremendous interest from each of these countries to come and play in Bermuda. But it will be expensive, in terms of air fares, and we are trying to sort out what they pay and what we can offer reciprocally.'' This year Bermuda have played Antigua twice, Denmark's Olympic team twice and Major League Soccer side DC United, as well as as three games in the Caribbean Cup tournament.

And a further string of international matches was needed to build up to next year's World Cup and Olympic qualifiers, added Sabir.

"In the build-up to World Cup qualifying 2000, we need activity for the national squad,'' added Sabir. "By that I mean they must become accustomed to playing at the intense level of international football.'' Clyde Best's team performed well in the Caribbean Cup, just failing to qualify despite scoring 11 goals in three entertaining matches, but crowds at the National Stadium were disappointing.

And Sabir hoped the forthcoming series of matches would appeal to the fans who stayed away in May, as well as businesses who might be tempted pay to have their name associated with a busy programme in the run-up to the World Cup qualifiers.

"We are attempting to kick-start the enthusiasm of the community,'' said Sabir. "Everyone will have the opportunity to choose to support international soccer -- or reject it.'' As well as tying up their fixture business next week, Sabir and Tyrrell will see the final and third place play-off matches in the Women's World Cup now taking place in the US.

And they will also learn who and when Bermuda must play in the first round World Cup qualifier next year. The tie will be a two-legged, home-and-away, straight knockout contest.