Andrew Bascome insists he has not given up hope of coaching Bermuda's senior team in the future following his appointment as a national academy coach.

Bascome has been hired part-time to help coach the academy's Under-15 and Under-16 squads and joins the likes of Devarr Boyles, Scott Morton and Gary Darrell in technical director Derek Broadley's backroom staff.

And Bascome, widely regarded a coach par-excellence on the Island, has not ruled out taking charge of the senior squad who have remained in-active since crashing out of the Digicel Caribbean Cup in the summer of 2008.

"I'm aim to work my way up. As for the senior level, well I hope so," said Bascome, who officially applied for the vacant post along with ex-national team coach Kyle Lightbourne over a year ago.

Overlooked by previous Bermuda Football Association (BFA) regimes because of his controversial Rastafarian beliefs, Bascome has never before worked in the national set-up despite his esteemed reputation.

He said the opportunity had arisen now that he was eligible to fly to the US after being removed from the stop-list.

"I'm now able to travel (to the US) so that's opened up things a lot for me," said Bascome. "I really appreciate the work Dr. (Ewart) Brown and Gregory Slayton (former US Consulate) have been doing behind the scenes to help that happen.

"It's the first time I have worked at the national level and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll bring a lot of commitment and work ethic.

"Every coach wants to work at the national level and I'm no different. That's what every coach wants isn't it? It's the natural progression for my career."

Asked whether he had been frustrated at not being able to coach at the international level in the past, Bascome replied: "Well, I've always been able to coach, so it doesn't really matter.

"Even coaching at club is work and there's always been plenty of work for me to do at that level in Bermuda. I've always aspired to be coach and now I've got the chance to work at the national team level, I'm very excited about that."

Bascome posseses UEFA, United States Soccer Federation, Brazilian, Concacaf and local coaching badges and has won nine major titles at four different clubs, including three Premier Division championships.

The national academy, which includes squads from Under-12s to Under-23s, was officially launched earlier this year and adopted from European models.

All players train year round, must adhere to a rigid development programme and are assessed annually to determine their progression.