admitted that inadequate preparation cost the once-proud club their place in the First Division.

Despite a poor finish to last season where they barely beat off St. David's in the race to avoid relegation, Hotels did not see the need to recruit for the 1993-94 programme and now they are history.

The club, who captured league titles in 1975 and 1980 and were second on two other occasions, were hit in the transfer market by the loss of nine regulars -- including the two goalkeepers! This was a blow, according to Starling in a press release, that was too stiff to get up from.

"We knew that we would be losing some of these players, but not all,'' said Starling in the statement. "We did not make a substantial attempt to replace all of them.'' Starling added that six players who decided to stay on with the club had already advised top officials that they could not train or play with regularity in the forthcoming season. At the top of that list would be Ricky Hill, who is committed to becoming a member of the Bermuda cricket team at next year's ICC Trophy Tournament.

After a bright start Hotels endured a tumultuous 1992-93 season. Clevie Wade was looked upon as the coach of the future and he immediately brought life into the league's oldest squad as they went to the top of the tables after the first month.

But after their first loss, the wheels quickly came off and Wade was sent packing in early January amidst much internal bickering.

Robert Calderon, the second coach to be fired last season, came from Dandy Town to act on an interim basis but the team's fortunes only improved at the end when their experience was enough to produce a few significant results to avoid the drop.

Calderon had been linked to North Village in the off-season leaving Hotels in the market for a coach.

And when several senior players jumped ship by the May 31 transfer deadline, Hotels were left with one month to register and precious little to field a sound squad with.

By the June 30 deadline, they filled in an incomplete registration form and were given an extension by the Bermuda Football Association.

But a weekend meeting provided no cure and Starling regretfully pulled the plug on a team that several local fans loved to hate, but would also hate to see leave.

"We do this with much regret and sadness,'' Starling said of the fateful decision. "We appreciate the opportunity provided by the Bermuda Football Association to allow us an extension of the registration deadline.

"Every alternative to this decision has been discussed, but we were unable to derive a solution which would have been fair to everyone.'' New administrator David Sabir echoed Starling's sentiments.

"It's always a sad day when you lose a club like Hotels that has been an intrical part of the association for so long,'' he said. "They see it as a temporary setback and hopefully we'll see it as a temporary setback as well.

We hope this is not the close of what has so far been a successful chapter in association history.'' The First Division will function with nine teams in 1993-94 with the BFA to decide at next Tuesday's annual general meeting at Devonshire Recreation Club (7 p.m.) how the promotion/relegation issue will be sorted from there.

St. David's held ambitions, when Hotels' troubles were first publicised, that they might stay up on a technicality.

But the BFA constitution states that two clubs must be relegated -- so they will indeed join Hamilton Parish. Tuesday's AGM will most likely decide on having three clubs promoted from the Second Division with two going down.

Meanwhile, Hotels will focus on their fledgling junior programme, which was launched last year. They fielded an under-12 team and won the Mini-Minor B title.

"We intend to concentrate all our energies on our youth programme with the hope that they will form the nucleus of a rejuvenated team in several years,'' said Starling.

"At that time, we would hope to be in a position to re-apply to join in the senior league.'' Those who decided to hang in with Hotels can now move on to other clubs if they wish, Sabir confirmed.

"To all of the players, officials, supporters and sponsors of Hotels International FC in the past, may I say a big thank you for all of your assistance,'' said Starling, who also wished to thank Southampton Rangers for the use of their facilities.

EUGENE SIMMONS -- One of several senior players who quit Hotels.