share his views on the future of the game with the Island's governing body.

And at the same time BFA chiefs have also revealed they have decided to appoint a Technical Director to oversee the sport at the top level.

Calderon last week hit out at a million-dollar-plus plan drafted by the Bermuda Football Association which aimed to boost the Island's standing on the international stage.

The plan, presented to affiliates prior to the Association's last AGM, included costings for coaching positions at both senior and junior level and looked at ways in which the standard of the game at national level could be improved.

Calderon, who resigned his position immediately following Bermuda's shock exit from the World Cup's qualifying stages last April, claimed the plan was flawed.

However, Jon Beard, chairman of the BFA's coaching committee and the man who put the document into the public arena, said he could not concur with the views of Calderon and other critics.

"Basically their concerns are ill-founded, but perhaps understandable if they have only confined themselves to the newspaper report and not read the complete plan,'' he said.

Inviting Calderon's input, Beard went on: "It is a plan -- it is a way to direct our efforts. It can be, will be and has been tweaked and modified as situations have demanded.'' Beard said if read in full it would be seen suggested wages for a part-time youth development officer and that of part-time national coach were the same -- $17,000 each -- and not $17,000 and $15,000 as had been incorrectly reported.

He also said several suggested scenarios involving coaching positions at national level had been discussed.

These were: A technical director.

A technical director plus a youth director plus a national coach.

Or a youth director plus a national coach.

"In the report the coaching committee of the time recommended that we appoint a technical director,'' Beard said. "After much deliberation this was formally agreed to by the executive earlier last week.'' Beard said no-one had been appointed to this position or to that of youth director or any similar post. However, an advert seeking national staff coaches would appear in The Royal Gazette later this week.

"In fact we invite any interested party reading this who has a relevant coaching qualification and is interested in applying to do so,'' he said.

"An interim national coach will be selected from this group for the national men's team to prepare the team for immediate competition.

"This would not rule out this person being the technical director, nor would it mean that that person is earmarked for the technical director's job.'' Beard said the technical director would be someone with the technical and administrative skills and experience to "chart our course''.

He would be constantly involved, report regularly to the BFA and would need to build up a strong working relationship with clubs, schools, coaches and overseas contacts.

"He must be able to positively influence our football programme from the grassroots up through the senior national teams,'' Beard said.

Dismissing claims from Calderon to the contrary, the official said the total budget suggested for the men's senior national team was more than $240,000.

This, he said, showed "how important the coaching committee feels it to be to have the national team as the flagship for the programme, to give the youngsters something positive to aspire to''.

Beard also said the committee had never suggested it came up with the idea of entering a team in one of the US leagues in a bid to expose players to better competition -- an area addressed in the plan.

"I was at a meeting when it came up and I cannot remember who brought it up, but Clyde (Best) certainly asked to run with it,'' he said. "A similar idea was brought up in Burkhart Ziese's time here and Allan Peacock also, I believe, looked into something similar.'' Beard said the Island had played Major Soccer League (MLS) teams before, the first against Kansas City Wizards, and in fact the BFA were the first national association to do so.

Calderon invited to assist BFA From Page 19 "This was arranged prior to Clyde coming on board and was in fact his first game with the national team,'' he said.

Beard said he was pleased to hear Calderon say "a very extensive proposal had actually been devised'' on the issue because the BFA had never seen it. If they did it would mean old ground would not have to be dug over again.

"I suggest Robert gets a copy of the plan from the office or from one of the affiliates and that perhaps he could then bring his comments on it straight to us,'' Beard said.

"He has a lot to offer football. I believe him to be a good coach and administrator, but I just wish that he would get his facts right before he starts having a go at the coaching committee.''