The town v country violence that seriously blighted last weekend's PDL match between youth teams from Boulevard Blazers and Southampton Rangers is not a football problem – it's a Bermuda problem!

For far too long we've all been guilty of burying our heads in the sand and choosing to ignore what has become a very real problem in Bermuda.

When you start having gangs of youths attacking a taxi full of players with all manner of weapons I think it's fair to say things have become pretty serious, and as someone who loves football I'm sad that our game has become a vehicle for the trouble.

When I returned to Bermuda from the UK after retiring as a professional footballer I knew very little about town v country. Like many people, I just dismissed it as a bunch of kids misbehaving and causing a bit of mischief. How wrong could have I been!

These kids are making a statement to us all and I'm afraid this town v country is certainly not just kids causing trouble, it's far worse than that.

And it would be wrong and ignorant to simply go pointing the finger at the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) or the domestic clubs for not doing more to prevent Saturday's ugly incident at Southampton Rangers.

I mean, what's the answer? I, for one, really don't know. But what I do know is that this town v country stuff has become bigger than the clubs and the BFA, and when both parties sit down to try and find a solution, I think a Government minister should also be present.

People will immediately call for more police presence at matches but that won't tackle the root cause of the problem.

When I was growing up and playing youth football this stuff just didn't exist in Bermuda, and it's sad because in many ways football is on the up at the moment.

This really should be a wonderful time for local football. We have new artificial pitches, a national academy and our coaches are getting themselves qualified, so it's a crying shame to see this gang-related violence threatening to undermine all the great work that's being done.

The sad reality is that football in Bermuda is in danger of no longer being a family game and you can't blame parents for staying away from local matches. It's understandable for them not to want to expose their children to gang violence.

Football matches should be safe for all Bermudians. Families should be able to come and enjoy the game, have some friendly banter with the opposition's fans and everyone should be confident of going home safely.

But it shouldn't be up to football to resolve this problem alone, for this is not a football issue. It's a Bermuda's issue and we all need to wake up to it.