The National Sports Centre buzzed, blared and ballooned in festival as an abundance of talent shone through much of a sun-filled Saturday afternoon.

Hopes and aspirations of many a player and partisan supporter rose and fell with the ebb and flow of contests on offer and among the victors at day’s end were the Saltus Under-13 unit, a squad no stranger to the champions circle after enjoying a stellar 2023 campaign home and abroad.

The team seized a third title after beating Warwick Academy 5-0 in the Middle School bracket of finals, with Saturday’s success adding to an unblemished 11-a-side league campaign and matching six-a-side honours as they mopped up all of the Bermuda School Sports Federation's competitions at North Field.

In its midst the team’s success also highlighted the benefit of having club and school working in congruence, with Saltus enriched by a squad containing many members also under the tutelage of FC Bascome.

“This is the team that represented the school and Bermuda very well overseas and has gone undefeated locally, " remarked Saltus athletic director Tim Figureido.

“It is a good cohort of players, for one. They get good coaching from the local clubs, which has benefited us, as well as the coaching that is provided at school from the likes of John Barry Nusum. We just try to give them every opportunity to forward themselves.

“We’re lucky to be in a position where many of these guys are involved in well-structured club programmes and go to Saltus, but the same thing can apply for other public schools.”

“We’re benefiting from their success with Andrew, so it’s a win-win for us, as all kids go from Bascome to Saltus, Saltus to Bascome and there are other students that play for other schools as well.”

In modern times Saltus has evolved its focus and curriculum to better accommodate the student athlete, establishing the Saltus Elite Athletic programme, which is formulated to specifically cater to students with demonstrated athletic prowess.

“What we have is a system that allows them to combine athletics and academics in preparation for the next step. “I have certain sessions with them, riches combined with what they are instructed upon with Andrew,” added Figureido.

“Our goal is that what they get from year seven going through is geared towards them getting into college well prepared , enabling them to enjoy the best student/athletic experience as they move toward longer-term career and personal goals.”

Nusum echoed Figureido’s though while basking in the triumph

“It’s been a team that’s always been united so the conversation has always been good and positive,” Nusum said

“They understand each other and always want to play in a manner that helps team success. To be honest most of these guys come from the same program, so they know each other before even coming to us.

“Programme like FC Bascome help us because they do a lot of the leg work and we can reap some benefits in the school aspect, so it’s really a win-win situation.”

While Saltus’s middle-school triumph was not for Bascome to alone enjoy, few were rewarded with such an array of pupils displayed on schools sports’ premier stage.

“It’s about preparing a foundation,” said Bascome

“It’s something to be captured and infused, not something that’s limited to Saltus, but to be spread.

“We have elements all over the Island. We have talent and have always had talent. It’s about combining and channelling what we do have in a direction that is positive.

“There were those who came before me that inspired not just me, but a generation of footballers and men.”

A former national team coach, Bascome was optimistic over Bermuda’s future prospects at grassroots level and beyond, even as he recognised the challenges of modern times.

“We have challenges and will always have challenges,” Bascome said.

“But the talent remains to be harnessed and we have to capture and guide what we have, so that the future remains productively bright.”