The Premier Development League (PDL) can be a 'shop window' for aspiring Bermuda Hogges players looking to become Major League Soccer (MLS) professionals, Bermuda Football Association (BFA) technical director Derek Broadley said yesterday.

Last week a total of 48 players with PDL experience were selected in the 2010 MLS draft at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Philadelphia, which was attended by Broadley and senior education officer Darrin Lewis.

As part of a joint partnership with the BFA, the Hogges will play in the PDL next season instead of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Division Two, and Broadley believes the fastest growing league in the United States will be a "perfect stepping stone" for promising Bermudian players.

"The PDL will certainly offer a stage for Bermuda's players to showcase their skills and catch the eye. It will be a good shop window for them," said Broadley, who previously coached PDL side Reading Rage.

"It has proven to be the perfect stepping stone for future MLS players.

"Two players who played under me at the Rage, Jason Yeisley (FC Dallas) and Adam Welsh (New England Revolution), both got drafted."

Broadley said the PDL, an under-23 league, would likely attract more interest from MLS scouts looking to spot potential than the USL-D2, where the players tended to be older and more experienced.

"The PDL is a developmental league and our players will therefore be judged in terms of their potential," he said. "In the USL-D2 you need to be the finished article to get a move (to the MLS)."

The BFA will use the Hogges as a vehicle to prepare the Bermuda Under-23 national team for important upcoming tournaments like the CAC Games in Puerto Rico in the summer.

With a regular season running from the end of May to late July, the PDL has 68 teams competing in four conferences.