Previous Dudley Eve Trophy winners pocketed as much as $20,000 in cash, according to Alfie Eve, son of the late Bermuda Football Association administrator after whom the tournament is named.

And while pleased to see the memory of his father live on through the renaming of the festive tournament, Eve said yesterday that clubs today had less incentive to play given the considerable reduction in prizemoney.

?The original Dudley Eve was designed to encourage teams to play because the financial rewards were considerable. In the old days the four Premier Division clubs shared all of the gate receipts which then were hefty,? Eve told

This year will see $12,000 split between eight teams with the BFA pocketing the gate receipts, according to league and cup competitions committee chairman Charles Clarke.

?That is not a lot of money,? Eve argued. ?It?s good to have the competition back but at the same time is it financially viable? Is it going to be worth it financially for the participating teams because when it was played for between four teams (Premier) it was really worth playing for. To me it?s really not worth all the hassle if all you?re getting is $2,000.

?In the previous format the more games you played the more money you earned, especially if you made it all the way to the two-leg final. Then there was also the opportunity of playing an extra game because you could advance from the loser?s bracket and still qualify for the final.

?It?s nice to have it back, but I have a concern dealing with the fact they?ve increased the number of teams participating but the prize earnings don?t reflect that.?

The old format was axed in 2002 in favour of bringing in touring teams to compete for a commemorative trophy in honour of the late Eve.

Bermuda defeated Jamaica?s Under-23 national team at the National Sports Centre in 2003 but then relinquished their crown to Barbados the following year at the same venue.

The tournament was then altered again to include only local clubs among the Premier and First Divisions, Dandy Town and Devonshire Colts emerging as inaugural winners.

Eve added: ?Overall I think the competition is fine. . . I don?t have any problems with the competition because it still provides clubs the opportunity to showcase their talents. But for that amount of money, is it really worth it??