administrative assistant David Sabir regarding women's soccer.

On Wednesday, Sabir confirmed that it had been resolved during a recent meeting of the league's committee, chaired by BFA vice-president Richard Thompson, that the women's 1993-94 campaign will commence during the Christmas period.

First on tap will be an as yet unnamed competition to be set around the Dudley Eve Trophy. Matches will likely take place as under-cards to the semifinal and final.

Regular league play where teams face each other twice will commence in January involving four teams -- Dandy Stars, Rude Girls, Somerset Terminators and BAA (formerly Telecom).

"They're (league's committee) very serious about this,'' said Sabir. "They want to institute specific policy for women's football, which is going to be very important for its continuity. They're very serious about this...there's no joke in it.

"They're also looking at getting women's football more involved through the schools so that it can be almost a part of the curriculum.

"I think most of it is going to be policy around how to promote the sport, not so much how to play the game as that's already etched in our by-laws.

Moreso it'll be centred around how we are going to keep women's football a focal point.'' The status of the female game on the Island had been in a state of flux after one team appeared to fold, leaving just three members willing to compete.

Alicia Zuill, a founding member of the league, voiced her displeasure on the lack of movement by the BFA toward getting things started, describing Bermuda as being "way behind the eight-ball'' and having too much emphasis being placed on the men's game while the women appeared to be treated as "second rate citizens''.

However, while admitting to having a ways to go toward catching up with the rest of the world, Sabir said that it was never the BFA's intention to shove the women's game under the carpet.

"It was never about putting it (women's soccer) on the back burner, but unless it can be decided how best it can be promoted it's a complete waste of effort.

"You have to also think of it in terms of the society we live in. There are girls going away to school, women starting families, marriage. As they get older they get into work commitments, so that means instead of the emphasis being on what we have -- the older females -- we have to find a younger age bracket and how best to promote it among them as well.

"Some things are in place for development, that's where the emphasis must be, on development.''