Almost 30 years after Clyde Best first took his footballing skills to English club West Ham United, another Bermudian youngster is headed to Upton Park this summer.

And it was Best himself, now Bermuda soccer's technical director, who used contacts at his former club to help get 11-year-old Adam Connolly into the West Ham School of Excellence. Best is a former team-mate of West Ham manager Harry Redknapp and club coach Frank Lampard.

Initial interest was shown in Adam by Redknapp while he was here last year to run a football camp organised by Adam's father, Dave, through his company, Imperial Sports Management. Redknapp spoke to Connolly about having his son attend the School of Excellence when he turned 11.

"I went over to London in March to talk to him about coming back to do the camp this year and I was also told that West Ham had allowed for 30 boys this year and that Adam's name had been included in the 30,'' said Connolly.

Last October, Best also wrote a letter to Redknapp on Adam's behalf and when he goes to England in August he will be the first overseas youngster to attend the School of Excellence. He will also be enrolled in school nearby.

Adam, whose father is English and mother Bermudian and was born on the Island, will be in the under 12 or under 14 teams at West Ham.

"He's quite a cool customer but I know he's looking forward to this one,'' said Connolly. "He doesn't even talk about it.'' Best, who went over to West Ham at the age of 17 in 1968, thinks the youngster is the right age. And he said he wouldn't hesitate to make similar recommendations for other local youngsters.

"The first thing that is going to help Adam is that his grandparents are there and the most important thing is that he is going to go to school there,'' said Best.

"I'm sure his dad understands that education comes first and football will come second, for now. If things work accordingly he should be okay.'' Best, meanwhile, feels that developing the youth programme at the national level is important to Bermuda's future.

"People seem to forget that if you turn out good athletes you turn out good people,'' said Best.

"Here in Bermuda I don't think people are aware of the talent we have at that age.'' It took Best exactly a year to break into the West Ham first team, so he knows the requirements.

"There are a lot of guys like Adam who, if I could work out something with their parents, I could put in a similar situation,'' he said.

"Parents have to take a big gamble, they are leaving home and going to a foreign country, different climate and I have always believed that for people to stand a good chance they have to go at an early age. Then you get to play with your peers and they get to see how good you can be.

"Here in Bermuda a lot of kids are playing `up' so to speak, in older age groups. Over there you don't play in an older age group until you become of age or they think you are ready.'' Best sees the benefits spilling over into the Bermuda team eventually.

"For me it's going to be very good because I'm going to have players who are going to come in and understand and be able to do what I want to have done,'' said the coach.

"From an international point of view we have to get more people abroad playing at a higher level. If we're going to play in the big arena we can't do it just playing in Bermuda.''