MILLIONS of dollars are handed out to charity every year. And the Bermuda Football Association want some of those millions. But they have yet to hire a Fund Development Officer whose job would be to go out into the community ¿ and especially the international business community ¿ to persuade people to part with their cash.

Nearly a year ago Government gave the BFA $15 million (over five years) but the association's president Larry Mussendem said at the time that the association wanted to have a budget of $36 million for their six-year plan.

Mussendem said: "Remember there is about $60 million worth of charity money that goes into our community annually and it is our belief that because football is the premier sport in Bermuda that we should be able to raise at least three to four million dollars annually and that comes from establishing relationships (with businesses and donors) and maintaining those relationships.

"So we need to have someone to do that all of the time. The private schools have it (Fund Development Officer), I believe the National Gallery has it and the Hospitals have several so therefore as one of the largest sports we have to protect funding for ourselves ¿ we need to do that."

When the BFA announced its six-year plan last year, David Sabir, the General Secretary of the BFA, said: "We will also focus in on our continued fund raising efforts because as you know our plan calls for a considerably more funding (than Government's $15 million). So we have to continue to raise funds and market the sport of football in Bermuda."

The Fund Development Officer's annual salary would be $125,000.

Mussendem said that although some people have been interviewed for the job, it has yet to be filled although the BFA chief said he expected to have someone in the post "very soon".

In fact when the BFA outlined their strategic plan earlier last year they wanted to fill a number of posts ¿ a Technical Director, a Youth Director, a Youth Development Co-ordinator and a Fund Development Officer.

None of those posts have yet to be filled although Mussendem announced two weeks ago that they have found the person they want as a Technical Director but were waiting for that person to sign a contract.

The Technical Director's role will be to oversee the development of football at every level in Bermuda, develop educational coaching programmes and develop club and school coaches. The Youth Development Co-ordinator and Youth Director will both work in collaboration with the Technical Director.

Of the person they want as the technical Director, Mussendem said they would announce the appointment in "a matter of a few weeks". And then they expected that person to start work few weeks after that announcement.

"We had a short list and all the interviews were in Bermuda. We know the person who we want ¿ it is not someone from Bermuda."

Mussendem also said that the BFA want to hire a Financial Controller and like the Technical Director and Fund Development Officer he said that "person will be here soon".