only benefit soccer on the Island.

"We've got to move forward. Changes will hurt, but we've got to get over it,'' president Neville Tyrrell told affiliated clubs at a special two-hour meeting on Tuesday night.

And yesterday General Secretary David Sabir reiterated the BFA's stand.

"The many recommendations that have been submitted are designed to create efficiency in the management of soccer and to add to the further development of the sport in all other areas,'' he said.

For the second time in two months, affiliates forced an adjournment to the BFA's attempts to introduce controversial amendments, such as the revised league structure and team/player releases and registration. These will come up again at the next meeting, set for July 22.

It remains to be seen whether the council will accept the proposal to rename the senior league the Premier Division and to have the current Second Division renamed First Division with the Alliance and Commercial Division league players given the option of competing in the new Second Division or the new Veterans' Division.

The recommendation is to have the new Premier Division operate with eight teams -- down from its current ten -- with the eighth place team being relegated. The new First Division will also operate with eight teams from which the last placed team is relegated and the first-placed team promoted.

The Second Division will consist of 10 teams from which the first placed team will be promoted.

"A two-match play-off between the second placed team of the lower division and the seventh-placed team of the high division will occur to determine a second relegation/promotion placing,'' wrote the BFA in a circular.

"The winners on goal aggregate over the two matches will participate in the higher division the following season and the losers in the lower division. In the event of a draw at the end of regulation, extra-time using the golden goal will be played. In the event of a tie after two periods of extra-time, a shoot-out will be used to determine the result.'' Changes are to be announced at the beginning of the 1998-99 season and implemented at the start of the 1999-2000 season.

This means, if supported by members, the top seven teams of the current First Division and the Second Division champions should make up the Premier Division -- meaning the eighth, ninth and tenth placed teams of the First Division will be relegated to the lower division at the end of next season.

The new First Division should consist of the three teams relegated from the old First Division and the teams placing second through six in the old Second Division.

The new Second Division would consist of the seventh placed teams and lower teams of the old Second Division and any other new teams formed.

The policy for the release of players has been amended and calls for senior players to be eligible for their release on May 1 of each year. The clubs are required to provide a roster of a minimum of 18 players and maximum of 25. But where they register a reserve team along with a Premier, First or Second Division team the roster increases to a minimum of 25 players and a maximum of 30 players per team. Affiliates claim it is necessary to register 40 or more players.

The original deadline for team registration is August 15 for the Premier Division and August 31 for all other teams. But one major change recommended for next season is to have the deadline for First Division only on August 15 and all other teams at the end of the month.