North Village Technical Director Kenny Thompson says the club's recent Premier League success was the result of a "community effort."

"Here at North Village we operate along the lines of a family," said Thompson. "There's a community spirit here at Village. We operate as a family and it feels like family. It's a very easy environment to work in and be progressive in."

However, Thompson readily admits the road to success has often been rocky.

"It wasn't easy to convince the fans that change was necessary," explained Thompson. "But we braced ourselves for criticism, which we got."

"From an executive standpoint, the club was very much prepared to embrace change but for the fans it was a little difficult," he explained, adding that many fans were looking for instant results.

"For success to occur, there is also the need for strong leadership . . . you must be strong and bold to face it."

Thompson said that when he took over as technical director, one of his main aims was to lay out guidelines for the club's future and that along the way his leadership team had to face much criticism from those that failed to recognise his "vision".

"Initially it was difficult because back then a lot of emphasis was being placed on winning, but we were more interested in laying down guidelines and principles. We had to be strong as a leadership team and face the criticism in our belief in what we were looking for."

The former Bermuda international said that although the club had now won the league championship, their focus would remain on the future, insisting it was "not the end, but rather the beginning of a new chapter."

Thompson said that some of those same people who had been critical now had a better understanding of his philosophy.

"As administrators, our eyes have to always be focused on the future, so our youth programme is very important in that regard. We are not only thinking about today but also about sustaining in the future."

Thompson acknowledged that although he couldn't control results, he could control the development of the programme - "the way you think about football and the style of play".

"Our programme is flourishing with an eye on the future," he said. "Hopefully other clubs will pick up on it.

"It's important for all of the clubs to look to implement similar programmes. It's also important to us and football throughout the country, because we want players to continue to develop and compete against players that are on the same level."

Thompson added that the executives at Village remained willing to part knowledge with some of their keys to success.

"In that regard, we are trying to pass the message onto other clubs. We are certainly not trying to keep the information to ourselves. We are very much interested in sharing the concept."

Village's junior programme is among the best on the Island with over 200 youths involved.

"I think that our model is a good model and that right now we are definitely being shown the benefits by not just winning the league but also in the type of players that we are no producing.

"At Village we are looking to progress, so time is not wasted by trying to convince people that maybe it's time for change. We embrace change so our energies are now being spent on implementing change as opposed to fighting change."