as the senior team bids to ignite its 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Royal Gazette has exclusively learned that all the associations in the CONCACAF region are being invited to send their teams to play on the Island.

Contact is also being made with sides in Europe and South America. The series of matches, planned to start early in the new football season, would be financed by a combination of gate receipts, canteen sales, corporate sponsorship and Government funding.

Larry Mussenden, who sits on the Bermuda Football Association international committee, said invitations are set to go out within the next few weeks.

He said: "We recognise that if we have regular home games it will encourage the public to come out and support and we can make money. If we just play the odd game, we lose money.'' Soccer technical director Clyde Best was in transit from St Kitts with the under 21 squad yesterday so could not be reached for comment but national team head coach Robert Calderon welcomed the initiative, although he stressed the standard of incoming teams needed to be high enough to help Bermuda improve.

He said: "I think it's something that's absolutely necessary. One of the big problems we've had has been preparing a team and having nothing at the end of it. In terms of motivating the players, if they know they're going to have a game every four weeks it makes it easier to generate interest.

"It would be good from the fans' perspective because no matter what other teams you have in preparation, they all want to see the senior team.

"But we really need to be playing the better teams like the Jamaicas and Trinidads or some of the Major League Soccer sides if we want to improve to progress in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.'' The Under-21 team lost 2-1 to St. Kitts on Tuesday night meaning they failed to qualify for the CAC Games.