The man charged with the running of youth football in Bermuda says "limiting the use of the National Sports Centre (NSC) for training will severely damage the morale of Bermuda Football Association (BFA) and players.

Speaking in the aftermath of a row between the BFA and the Ministry of Sport over use of the stadium, Director of Youth Development, Kenny Thompson, noted footballers today knew "enough from observations of programmes and matches on television and the internet that if our programmes do not resemble what they have observed then it is likely they will not be motivated to prepare for excellence in the way we are telling them they should".

The BFA have been lobbying for greater access to the facility while the ministry said they could not facilitate the organisation's desire to train for about ten months of the year for four or five days a week.

Sports Minister Randy Horton and BFA president Larry Mussenden met on Thursday evening and are expected to issue a joint statement next week.

Thompson, who oversees the National Youth Academy programme (for Under-13 to Under-17 footballers), noted that long gone were the days when "an open space and a ball were sufficient motivation for players to spend countless hours in preparation".

Adding that "quality and continuous training on high-quality pitches is vital", the BFA official pointed out that playing on uneven surfaces could hinder a footballer's development, preventing him from playing "at the level he knows he is capable of".

"The ball cannot be an obstacle if the technical, tactical and psychological requirements for top-level football are to be realised. Removing the inconsistent bounce of the ball is critical towards optimal development of players during training and elevates the performance level during matches.

"Therefore it's imperative for the players to spend the critical training time on a quality surface. Neglecting this aspect in forcing players to train on poor surfaces negatively affects the players' technical, tactical, physical and psychological development. The result is players with serious football deficiencies. Training on the highest-quality surface is important as the top priority in player development is to produce technically sound and highly creative players."

Thompson noted that preparation for optimal performance is between ages 11 and 20 and that "a missed stage cannot be recovered".

"There are no short cuts to excellence; achieving excellence is time-consuming and complex. Therefore, we must not underestimate the importance of continuous, long-term and high-quality developmental programmes. Achieving excellence requires financial and human resource investments in coach development, high-quality facilities as well as a quality-player-focused development plan."

The youth coach noted the BFA's view had not been determined ad hoc but, rather, was the result of research, discussions and observations of football development programmes worldwide.

"What we are discussing is normal in amateur and professional environments throughout the football world."