THE Bermuda Football Association are fairly certain that they will have appointed the Technical Director by the end of the year.

So said BFA chief Larry Mussenden yesterday when the association presented the first-quarter report for their Strategic Plan (2007-2012).

Earlier this year Government pledged $15 million over five years to boost the national sport and one of the main things the BFA wanted to do was get in a Technical Director.

To that end they brought in Alvin Corneal, FIFA Technical Development Officer, this summer to conduct a review of the game in Bermuda and make certain recommendations.

Mussenden said yesterday: "He (Corneal) has submitted his report to us and FIFA and we are in the process of considering that. At this point the Technical Committee have considered (the report) first and they have sent their report to the rest of the executive for us to discuss which we will do at the next executive meeting."

Mussenden said that "in due course we will be excited to show it to the public along with our recommendations".

While the BFA president would not put a specific date on when the Technical Director will be named, he said he hoped it was by the end of the year.

"We want to get a Technical Director as soon as possible. Everyone is gung ho about that."

Mussenden said that a number of people had submitted their applications for the post of Technical Director but that those applications have been filed away until it was time to consider them.

"We have not advertised it (the post)," he said adding that when eventually they do they will advertise the post locally.

"We have not discussed (advertising) at the executive level so I will be listening to the executive committee. We will certainly be advertising in Bermuda and I would imagine we would be advertising overseas as well," he said.

The BFA chief also said he hoped that the Gym Field with its synthetic surface will also be up and running by the year's end.

So far the BFA have spent just over $657,000 in the first quarter (April, May and June) with the largest amount of $149,493 going to send the Under-13, Under-14 and Under-15 national teams away to the Dallas Cup. The cost of sending the national women's team and the men's Under-23 team to the Island Games in Rhodes cost just over $141,000.

New national team gear cost $36,617 while the covered benches for all clubs cost $110,745.