Dear Sports Editor,

Thank you for once again allowing me space in your paper to express my views.

After reading the article headlined "We need less soccer", let me state that I agree.

However, the area being cut back is that of the Reserve League, which is the grooming place for players who don't make the first 11 on any club's senior team.

Where else will players who practice two or three times a week get match practice?

Presently the Reserve Division plays an average of about twice a month, while the Commercial Division is held just about every week.

When will the BFA and Referees' Association get their priorities straight?

Each Saturday referees are assigned to Commercial League football before youth football.

Youth football is the breeding ground for upcoming talent that filters into our senior divisions (Premier, First and Reserve) as well as our national teams. The Commercial League primarily consists of players who are past their prime or don't have the time, so they say.

The youngsters being groomed are regularly subject to no official referees showing up or 'the bottom of the barrel' if they do, while the Commercial League gets the most qualified referees available on the day.

Surely, in the scheme of things, the Commercial League is the least important, and therefore the scarce resources should be applied accordingly.

When no referee shows up at youth matches the coaches are obligated to provide one and the match goes on.

When no referee shows up at a Commercial League game the match is postponed and the players expect the BFA scheduler to dream up a new date for the match, but there are only so many free Saturdays for postponed matches. The night field operators don't want to host the games because their fields are already overused. In addition, the expense of the lights isn't covered by sufficient revenues.

If we are going to cut back on any football, the Commercial Division is where we should start. The Commercial Division has distracted a large segment of the football community.

Once upon a time when a player retired from senior football he gave back to the sport by assisting at youth or senior level (including reserve), some by coaching, some by officiating.

Others were at least around the grounds performing the role of watchdog over the youngsters coming through. The Commercial Division has succeeded in distracting these people (white, black, local, ex-pat) from these roles over the past 20 years.

We've groomed a bunch of takers who don't want to give anything back.

Instead, they are off playing in the Commercial League and say they don't have time for both.

Probably so, it's a question of priorities.

BENNY