As a way of showing support for the upcoming documentary exploring the life and career of the island’s football legend Clyde Best, the Bermuda Football Association is donating gate takings of the Charity Cup on Sunday.

Transforming the Beautiful Game, The Clyde Best Story is a documentary on Best, who made a name for himself with Somerset Trojans before becoming a pioneer for black players at West Ham in England. He scored 47 goals for the Hammers between 1968 and 1976.

Mark Wade, the BFA president, highlighted the significance of the documentary, which is expected to provide entertainment to football lovers.

“We believe the project is important as it will document the life of one of our legends, Clyde Best,’’ Wade said.

“Fans will be entertained and now become stakeholders in this documentary. The Charity Cup kicks off the 2023-24 season. Fans have been waiting all summer for football to return. The North Village Rams and PHC Zebras will put on an entertaining match. I cannot think of a better way to start the season or a better cause to support.”

The donation from the BFA comes at a convenient time, as the documentary prepares to film two essential scenes in Bermuda in September.

Brendon Batson, the only surviving member of the famous “Three Degrees” and a football legend in his own right, will be on the island to reunite with Best, with the two engaging in insightful conversations about their individual roles and experiences in breaking the colour barrier in the Premier League in the 1960s and 1970s.

An exciting re-enactment of Best’s early days as a player for Ireland Rangers will also be filmed using Bermuda’s football talent of today as the actors.

The legendary Bermudian coach Eddie “Icewater” Smith will be playing himself in the scene that depicts a time in the early 1960s when sailors from the United Kingdom would play football against locals. T

hese games became an important foundation for Best to grasp British-style football and later helped him in the 1967 Pan American Games, in which he played for Bermuda and won a silver medal after a 4-0 loss to Mexico in the final.

Puma will be sponsoring this iconic scene, with Best having a longstanding relationship with the German sports brand. In 1969, he was the first professional football player in Britain to be sponsored by Puma.

Best travelled to England and the Netherlands this year to visit his old stomping grounds of West Ham and Feyenoord for the documentary.

He was honoured in front of 65,000 fans at West Ham’s home, London Stadium, where the likes of Rio Ferdinand lined up to get a photograph with him. In Rotterdam, he was honoured at the club’s stadium by fans and former team-mates.