Corey Hill has broken his silence over what he describes as the “exploitation for financial gain” of local youngsters who dream of playing professional football in Britain.

Hill, a former international for Bermuda, spoke after striking up an international scouting partnership with Southern League Premier Division Central outfit Harborough Town three years after being employed as a scout in the UK by the Bermuda Football Association.

The new partnership is intended to deliver up-and-coming local youngsters into the UK through Hill’s scouting network but he insists he is offering no “fancy dreams” of immediate Premier League football, but will nurture potential through a semi-professional club with extremely high visibility in the national game.

“Being in the UK for five years has given me the opportunity to study the football landscape first-hand and I can honestly say that the majority of players, families and organisations are being exploited for financial gain in most cases with no real knowledge of how things really work here,” Hill told The Royal Gazette.

“They are only told the real deal after they arrive in the UK and then start to figure out that the goalpost has been moved.

“I got tired of watching Bermudians being taken advantage of so I've decided to say something. I'm very transparent in my approach and this partnership with Harborough Town can not only benefit young players, but also those players in their mid-twenties who think they have missed the boat to progress in their football.

“Notwithstanding you must possess the ability and attitude to perform in non-league football because it's very demanding, it’s also very important that Bermudians understand it’s nearly impossible for a player to sign with a professional academy under the age of 18.

“No matter what anyone tells you the most you’ll get is the shadow team and B-tech programme. Therefore, it's very important that players have the support away from their families from someone who really cares about their wellbeing and development up until the age of 18, which is when they become eligible to sign a pro or semi-pro contract.”

Hill is excited to have formed a partnership with Harborough Town, where Bermudians Jutorre Burgess and Jakeem Jennings are already based.

“I am delighted to work with Harborough Town and I believe we can introduce them to a number of talented Bermudian footballers,” he said.

“We have already seen two of our players in Deniche Hill and Jutorre Burgess sign professional and semi-professional contracts so why not others?

“There are professional football clubs who are now looking at the youth game in Bermuda and sometimes the youngsters get caught in the headlights of a Premier League or Football League club offering the world to these young lads.”

Hill has been steadily involved in bringing young footballers to the UK with placements at Harborough Town and Brooke House College and Peter Dougan, the Harborough Town co-chairman, believes the club stands to prosper from the alliance with Hill.

“This is another step forward for the football club as we have seen many talented footballers now coming through the esteemed Brooke House College Football Academy and with Corey’s wealth of knowledge within his home country of Bermuda,” Dougan said.

“We are hoping that striking this partnership will show the young footballing talent of Bermuda that there is a genuine pathway from college football to semi-professional and ultimately professional football in the UK.”

Hill’s son, Deniche, has been honing his skills with Sky Bet Championship side Leicester City and has been included in the Bermuda squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers this week against Cayman Islands and Cuba.

Midfielder Jennings helped Harborough’s under-23 side win the Midland Football League Challenge Trophy, netting seven goals in his comeback from an ankle injury, which sidelined him for a significant portion of the 2023-24 campaign.

Burgess is coming off a fantastic debut season with Harborough’s first team since becoming the first player to be promoted from their emerging talent programme last September. He netted six goals during the campaign and was named as the Young Player of the Year during the club’s annual awards ceremony.

The winger is among several players who have agreed to deals keeping them at the Leicestershire-based club for at least another year.

“We have seen the likes of Jutorre Burgess and Jakeem Jennings that have flourished working with both Brooke House and our development programme,” Dougan said.

“Jutorre made more than 30 appearances for Harborough Town last season at the age of 18, as well as having a couple of trials at Championship clubs, in what proved to be the football club’s most successful season ever.”