`Football has taken a nose-dive at a rapid pace' "An officer, having completed 12 months continuous service, may be granted, at the discretion of the Secretary to the Cabinet, special leave with full pay for the purpose of taking part in international meetings of recognised philanthropic organisations or in sporting events of international significance, or those in which Bermuda is represented. Such leave shall not exceed the number of days required for the actual event and for traveling to and from the place arranged for that event.'' The Bermuda Telephone Company "The following guideline is intended to clearly define who is eligible to receive PAID LEAVE to participate in an International Event. Any person competing as an athlete may be granted one period of paid leave per calendar year, provided the event is a recognised International Competition where two or more countries will be participating.

Persons wishing leave will be required to obtain a written application from their National Federation confirming participation at least two weeks prior to the said event.

Consideration will only be given to persons competing in sports having a National Federation recognised by the Department of Youth & Sport or the National Olympic Committee.

Persons involved in any international event as coach, referee, umpire, manager or any administrative capacity may be granted vacation or unpaid leave, providing work commitments allow.

The Company recognises that it is healthy to promote the development of those physical and moral qualities which are the basis of sport. Providing such a policy helps our employees build a better understanding of our support for their sporting activities.'' We commend those employers with a similar policy for their commitment to the national interest. We recommend that all employers able to do so adopt this policy to help those National players who are unable to support themselves.

The alternative is a real hardship because some of the young men have responsibilities, are married and r have children and financial commitments to meet such as rent, car payments etc.

In summary, they lose wages, sometimes jobs and, on a more long-term basis, career prospects. Representing their country as amateurs should involve sacrifice but they cannot live on glory alone.

We believe that this should not be the BFA's burden. They can ill afford to take it on alone. Some employers are not prepared or able to pay the salaries of players (who themselves may have insufficient means) representing their country at the international level. Therefore, it seems to us entirely reasonable that such players should be subsidised for salaries lost, and we recommend that since players are representing the country, Government should subsidise them until an alternative source of funds is available.

*** SUPPORT OF FOOTBALL BY GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR As has been observed earlier in this report, the membership of most football clubs has been falling. Many people, particularly those with families, have been put off by declining standards of conduct and are looking elsewhere for recreational activities. There is clearly a need to try to reverse these trends as sports, and particularly football, are of paramount interest to the community and to our youth.

The main sources of income for the clubs are the sale of tickets for football games, bar receipts and to a lesser extent membership dues. In general, this income is not sufficient to maintain and improve either club facilities or active sports and recreational programmes. If the clubs can rebuild a strong active membership and obtain financial backing, then there is no doubt that they can become stronger community centres for sports and recreational activities and exert greater positive influence on the youth of Bermuda.

However, to be successful, active club membership and financial support must come together -- neither will achieve the desired result without the other. A large measure of self-help will be needed over a sustained period for the situation to improve.

A problem for most of the clubs, subsequently reflected in the BFA itself, is the uneven quality of administration available to them. This became very obvious to us and we can no better than quote directly from the survey done for the BFA by Mr. L. Walton Brown Jr. of Research Innovations Limited.

"A number of problems with football clubs have been identified which collectively have had a negative impact on the sport itself. From the decreased attendance of spectators -- especially older sports fans -- to the rowdiness that is at times associated with matches; and from the perception of widespread distribution and abuse of drugs around certain sporting clubs to financial hardships, it is clear that an important set of concerns need to be addressed.

"Clearly, a significant step toward dealing with the litany of problems involves the presence of a strong, effective pool of club administrators. It appears that many clubs are hampered because the enthusiasm, energy and dedication many of their administrators bring with them is not matched by sufficient administrative and managerial preparation. The operation of any club today is equivalent to operating a small to medium size business and requires sound fiscal planning, at the very least. In past decades part of the necessary skills for running clubs came from persons who received post-secondary training and entered club life on their return to the Island.

It is unfortunate today that many professionals, some of whom have even been financially assisted by the clubs, have decided not to return and involve themselves in the club; or alternatively, some do get involved, are impatient for reform and decide to leave the club altogether.

"What one sees in too many clubs is the routine violation of rules -- the use of profanity, for example -- which sends the wrong message; one also sees a number of clubs groping to deal with their financial responsibilities, part of which is caused by the quality of administrators. Suitably trained club administrators will go a long way toward addressing the management problem.

Such personnel will be able to articulate a vision of where the club should be and how the sport should be developed; they will be better able to manage all the fiscal responsibilities demanded of them; and they will be able to devise plans for ensuring club rules are respected.'' Mr. Brown's report entitled: `The Betterment of Football in Bermuda Through Club Reform and a Drug-Testing Policy' clearly sets out the backdrop to football in Bermuda and points its way to the future. It is included as Appendix 4. We used the phrase "uneven quality of administration''. A few were impressive, others were less so, while yet others had older and experienced administrators, anxious to hand over the responsibilities which they had been carrying for many years, but unable to find younger people to take them on -- including those they had sent abroad for further education.

The one thing they all had in common though was a serious concern for their clubs and their future and a determination that the clubs should flourish again and serve our community.

We share Mr. Brown's conclusion that financial and other support should be aimed at helping the BFA and the football clubs to help themselves. This, we feel, is the only approach which can result in lasting improvement.

Initially, financial support should be directed at: The training of club administrators to improve the management and operation of the clubs and their activities.

The training of coaches to improve and enlarge the football programme.

The periodic training of coaches and players on club teams in the rules of the game so as to minimise disputes on the field.

The training of club officials and staff in the management of security and the handling of alcohol and other substance abuse at football games.

As a follow-up, suggestions have been made to the Board that local companies should be encouraged to become sponsors of individual clubs. Indeed, we were told by Mr. Churchill Neita, Chairman of the Institute of Sports in Jamaica, that: "There is a lot of private sector sponsoring of sport in Jamaica and many clubs have individual sponsors.'' It has been suggested that a business has skills in financial affairs and management and that interested staff might be made available to advise a club as well as help with the organisation of its fund-raising activities. We believe that these proposals have merit as ways of helping football clubs with resources to strengthen both their finances and their programmes. This sort of partnership has the potential of bringing these disparate elements of our community together for the common good. Perhaps initially, as a pilot project, for a trial period of, say, two years, a large community-spirited business may wish to seek out a club interested in participating in such an arrangement, for which together they could produce the ground rules and we so recommend.

Assuming that self-help efforts are successful, there will still be a need for major financial assistance to upgrade club facilities in ways to attract larger memberships and more participation in sports activities. So where will the "major financial assistance'' come from? Three sources come to mind: (1) The first and most obvious is the Government. It is already making a significant contribution to sport, amounting in total to approximately $600,000, of which $142,000 is allocated to the BFA's administration and coaching costs. But the Government already has major funding requirements for the foreseeable future -- the closure of the bases, the reform of education etc. And with the country fighting its way out of the recession, Government will be unwilling to impose further taxes. Equally, the taxpayer will be unwilling to pay more.

(2) Some clubs have agreed that there should be a National Lottery, the proceeds of which would be devoted to sport. This has the advantage that, unlike taxes which the citizen has no choice but to pay, a citizen has the choice as to whether to buy a Lottery ticket or not. We acknowledge the moral reservations about a Lottery and the sensitivity of the issue. But increasingly countries, states and provinces are finding that normal tax revenues cannot adequately fund the needs of the arts and sports -- hence increasingly they are turning to this method of raising money for them.

Jamaica, for instance, we were told by the Chairman of their Institute of Sports, has a National Lottery for Sport run by the Sports Development Fund Board, to whom applications are made and who decide on subsequent allocation of funds. The moral reservations have to be set against the need to preserve our sporting institutions, and the need for healthy outlets for our young people.

(3) A third potential option drawn to our attention by a concerned business professional is the establishment of a `Bermuda Football Foundation'. His letter indicated both a good understanding of the predicament of the clubs, the importance of their viability and the importance of football to Bermuda: "I understand that the basic problem concerning the state of soccer in Bermuda is a reflection of the problems within the various football clubs on the Island. Over time there has been a gradual deterioration, both in the finances and the management of these clubs and this, in turn, has reflected on the BFA whose membership is drawn from the clubs. One solution would be to begin the process of improving the clubs and making their operations more viable. This will, however, take an extended period of time to achieve.

Another approach which I would endorse, would be to recognise that football embraces a larger community than just the clubs. It includes the referees, coaches, clubs, fans, the Bermuda Government and commercial sponsors. The body that manages the sport should consequently include all of these constituents.

I believe a good argument could be made for the creation of a new organisation to be called the `Bermuda Football Foundation'. The primary purpose of this foundation would be to oversee and promote the development of football in Bermuda. The Board of Bermuda Football Foundation should include membership from all the constituencies that I mentioned before. Much of its time would be spent on promoting and developing the sport in Bermuda through the sponsorship of coaching clinics, summer camps, referee's clinics etc.'' His concluding paragraph suggested that if changes were not made in the near future, the sport of football would slowly die. He went on to say: "It is unlikely that commercial sponsors will be willing to continue supporting the activities of the Football Association given some of the actions that they have taken over the last six months. Gradually, support for the sport will disappear and the sport will die, being taken over by many other sports that are available to young people. I think this would be very unfortunate since football is a major international sport that Bermuda should clearly share in.'' If funds were to be generated by means of any of the options -- or a combination of the options -- mentioned above, there would need to be a level of accountability. Guidelines for the allocation of funds to clubs might, among other things, require that: The project will make a significant improvement in a club's sports facility.

The club has an active membership and a well-managed sports programme.

The club is taking successful measures to eliminate the use of drugs in sport and improve both security and standards of behaviour at football games.

The club has the necessary financial and management skills in place to control the project.

To develop the fund-raising suggestions mentioned earlier would require more time than is available to us if we are to complete this report without further delay.

We, therefore, recommend that the Government have either the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Recreation examine and report further on these, and any other, fund-raising suggestions; or appoint another body to follow them up; or authorise the Board, in collaboration with the sponsors of the various suggestions, to investigate them further and report.

*** THE EXECUTIVE OF THE BERMUDA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION Since we began our interviews with the Bermuda Football Association, it may be appropriate to close our report with a few observations about them. The Bermuda Football Association, an Affiliate of the Federation International Football Association, is vitally important to football in Bermuda -- indeed effectively that body is football in Bermuda.

Not all, indeed perhaps not most, of the executive (a list is attached as Appendix 9) are persons with a proven management track record. Like the clubs, they too for a long time have experienced the difficulty of attracting that type of people on to the executive. On the other hand they are without exception people with a keen interest in, and a considerable knowledge about football, who are willing to make a considerable sacrifice of their time to this important endeavour.

The BFA does have a full-time General Secretary, currently Mr. David Sabir, who brings to the position a good education, some experience in administration, a keen interest and a lot of energy.

The Board have heard considerable criticism of the BFA -- by affiliates, and others not directly associated with the BFA. It has related in the main, to their handling of the Jamaica situation and to matters relating to the "Miami Seven''. But in fairness to them, they were on the receiving end of a very hot issue and, in our view, rightly elected to leave questions arising in Jamaica to those officials more familiar with them and who were there, on the spot.

We have heard criticism of their unwillingness or inability to promulgate policies for the betterment of football in Bermuda. Affiliates rank as some of their sternest critics. Indeed it appears that once the affiliates elect a BFA executive, it is often seen as `them and us' -- overlooking the fact that `us' (the affiliates) is in fact `them' (the BFA). Once the affiliates elect the BFA (to represent them) they should be supportive, not obstructive.

Perhaps that is why, prior to the last election, the bye-laws were changed to provide that the principal officers shall be elected "for a period of four years''. Perhaps the intention (of changing from annual elections) was to provide a security of tenure to enable them to do the job.

The BFA, traditionally and understandably, have tried to make decisions by consensus (with their affiliates). But as we said earlier, this often leads to gridlock. However, as the BFA executive submitted to us: "One must also realise that the administration of football is on a volunteer basis at both the executive and club levels.'' As they further put to us: "What has happened to the BFA and its executive members is an attack on its integrity, its credentials and its ability to administer the sport. Because of the alleged actions of seven players, association football has taken a nose-dive at a rapid pace.'' Indeed, it has been suggested to us that there is a crisis of confidence in the BFA; even that the executive should resign.

Certainly, in hindsight, more care might have been taken in the selection of the team. In hindsight and with the information and evidence now available, matters in Jamaica might have been handled differently and better. In hindsight, it can be argued that what happened need not have happened. But we do not place the blame at the feet of the BFA executive. In most businesses and organisations in Bermuda, there is a tendency to expect the best of people and to the extent that the BFA are guilty, this is what they were guilty of.

As traumatic, painful and even shameful as some of the aspects of the Jamaica visit proved to be, perhaps in the final analysis it has all been for the best. Scales have fallen from many eyes and out of the ashes of this embarrassment has risen a fresh determination and a new consensus to clean up our act.

As we said earlier, we have heard calls for the resignation of the BFA executive. Perhaps the executive themselves may have considered it. Indeed notwithstanding their election for four years, there is a provision in the constitution under the section `Standing Orders for Special Council Meetings' which reads: "Special Council Meetings may be convened by the President as and when he deems necessary, or upon written application of at least seven (7) or more of the members. In the event of written application, by seven (7) or more of the members, the reason for a meeting, and a description of the motion to be made, shall be presented to the Administrative Office at least twenty-eight (28) days prior to the date of the proposed meeting.'' We read this as providing an opportunity for a vote of confidence and fresh election if affiliates, or for that matter the BFA itself, so wished.

But it is not a course of action that we would recommend -- certainly not at this time.

Our recommendation is that the community and the affiliates get behind the BFA executive and help them do what they need to do for football.

If after a year there is still dissatisfaction with the executive, then affiliates have a facility to review the situation. Or the executive have the facility to offer themselves for a vote of confidence. But all this is premature. The BFA needs to focus on rebuilding football in Bermuda. The community, including the Government and the private sector, need to rally around and help them do it.

We, therefore, recommend that affiliates work supportively with the BFA. We hope this Report makes some contribution to this objective.

*** SECTION IV Recommendations aimed at encouraging a drug-free environment within organised football in Bermuda.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS Players (1) When a team is selected to represent Bermuda abroad, a thorough background check should be made on each player under consideration -- with parents, police, employers, schools etc.

(2) At the time of selection, as part of his signed contract for selection, each player should be tested for drugs (including marijuana) as suggested in the BFA policy. If, as was the case for Jamaica, the team is in training here for some while, should anyone initially test positive, he should be offered help and if he accepts -- kept on the programme with regular testing to determine his progress. Obviously, should there be no signs of improvement he should be dropped from the squad.

(3) At an early stage of their training in Bermuda, players should be addressed by a representative of the relevant agencies in Bermuda, including the National Drug Commission, the Police and Customs.

(4) Employers are encouraged to adopt the policy of helping those National players who are unable to support themselves. Meantime, Government should subsidise National players until an alternative source of funds is available.

(5) Before the commencement of the season, referees should give talks to players and coaches at all football clubs regarding `Rules of the Game'.

(6) The BFA National players and all football affiliates should be in the forefront of the National Drug Commission's campaign `Sportsmen Against Drugs'. BFA (7) As an example, on an annual basis, the executive of the Bermuda Football Association should offer themselves for drug testing.

(8) In consultation with the affiliates, the BFA should produce a drugs policy, including provision for testing league players.

(9) A `job description' should be prepared for all team officials so that there is no confusion in anyone's mind as to their respective authority and responsibilities.

(10) When leaving their premises to return from overseas to Bermuda, team officials, having had instructions from the Bermuda Regiment and the Police, should thoroughly search persons and bags, sealing bags on completion.

(11) Affiliates should work supportively with the BFA.

Spectator Behaviour (12) After consultation with the Police, the Minister of Youth, Sport and Recreation and any other appropriate Government agency, the clubs should introduce some form of video surveillance, the object being to identify persons flaunting the law and behaving badly and have them dealt with subsequently by the law if necessary, and collectively by the affiliates.

(13) The Police should have a presence (in uniform), particularly during major matches in the anticipation that the mere presence of the Police is likely to act as a deterrent.

(14) All clubs, in conjunction with the BFA, should agree to a standard set of rules that can be used and displayed at all grounds, and certainly at the point of entrance. This should include a prohibition on bringing alcoholic beverages on to the property.

(15) Club officials, wearing identification bands, should patrol the grounds observing infringements of the above rules in order to curtail drug use and unruly spectators. Any person who breaks these rules should, in the first instance, be given a written warning and, if the behaviour persists, should be banned from all grounds.

(16) Clubs should consider experimentally banning the sale of alcoholic beverages during matches.

General (17) A strong `Sportsmen Say No To Drugs' campaign should be developed with the assistance of the National Drug Commission.

(18) The community, the Government and the business community should support the clubs and the BFA. Specifically, as a pilot project, for a trial period of say two years, a large community-spirited business should be encouraged to seek out a club interested in participating in such an arrangement for which together they could produce the ground rules.

(19) Parents of players must take a more active interest and be more involved than they are now, at all levels -- even if they simply go out to watch games and show their support as Parents.

(20) The educational campaigns against drugs in schools should be more focused and intensified.

(21) In consideration of providing additional funds for football from the Government and r a National Lottery for Sport and r the creation of a Bermuda Football Foundation, an examination should be done either by the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Recreation, or a body specifically appointed for the purpose or members of the existing Board of Inquiry.

Our recommendations almost unanimously reflect the position of those agencies and persons who have given us the benefit of their views. Of course they will need refining to take account of various matters. But the bottom line has to be that if a person is to represent his country, he and his sponsors have an obligation to ensure that he does so not only with skill, but with honour.

In conclusion and in summary, in the exercise of their respective responsibilities, a more disciplined approach needs to be taken by the BFA, affiliates and players. And having regard to the importance of football to Bermuda, additional resources are required to upgrade it overall.

BOARD CHAIRMAN -- The Hon. Sir John Sharpe.