As the heat of summer finally starts to wane, the sporting baton passes as a new football league season blossoms across the island. With some early evidence from the Dudley Eve Trophy to digest, fans are already debating who will emerge on top.

Cricket offered long, lazy afternoons. Football is about to present the noise, the tackles, and the race for the title, with contenders Dandy Town, X-Roads, PHC and Devonshire Colts all in action tonight.

So without further ado, here is The Royal Gazette’s team-by-team guide to the upcoming season.

Dandy Town Hornets

Coach: Jarreau Hayward

2025-26 league position: 1st

2025-26 Honours: BFA Premier Division champions; Friendship Trophy winners

Key player additions: Blaiz Hall, Malachi Trott, Zac Hannay, Tre Manders, Benjamin Osset.

Key player departures: Oneko Lowe, Dante Scraders.

The target is on their backs and Dandy Town would not have it any other way.

Fresh off winning the 2025-26 Bermuda Football Association Premier Division and lifting the Friendship Trophy, the Hornets are not treating last season as a finish line. To head coach Jarreau Hayward, it was merely “Step One”.

“Our goals are to continue to learn, improve, and follow our process,” Hayward said. “Last year was a foundation year. We moved on to Step Two after the Friendship Final last season and will possibly move to Step Three later in this season if we lock down Step Two.”

That mindset sums up Dandy Town’s approach: evolve, don’t defend, but the Hornets know everyone will be gunning for them.

“Dandy Town will always have a target on our back,” added Hayward. “There's nothing new here just because we won the league last year. The club backed that ambition in the off-season with quality, not quantity, additions.

“Malachi [Trott] and Blaiz [Hall] bring immediate impact, Zac Hannay has shown immense quality and the return of Tre Manders from cricket plus Ben Osset joining full-time adds depth.”

Long-term injuries have also cleared and the coaching staff got a boost with Dante Leverock and Angelo Simmons coming aboard.

Up front, the challenge is spreading the load. They lost the Charity Cup to North Village and missed chance in their 1-0 win over St George’s in the Dudley Eve Trophy.

David Jones Jr carried the attack, scoring seven goals in three games, including the title-clincher, at the end of last season but Hayward wants more balance.

“This season we will look for everyone to score more goals, including David,” said Hayward.

Devonshire Colts

Coach: Ray Jones

2025-26 League position: 2nd

2025-26 Honours: League & FA Cup runners-up

Key player additions: Delray Rawlins, Haile Eve

Key player departures: Sekai Tatem

Empty-handedness hurts, so Devonshire Colts will be hellbent on shaping the 2026-27 season as one of redemption.

Colts were arguably the best team in the second half of 2025-26 but came up just short to finish runners-up in the Premier Division and FA Cup.

For coach Ray Jones it was a “win-or-bust” season and by that measure last year was a failure.

This year is about redemption. Colts enter the season primed to contend for everything again and they have the firepower to do it.

They scored a league-best 48 goals last season, led by the division’s most feared attack. Chamarl Henry, Elisha Darrell and Senoj Mitchell form a triumvirate that defences will dread. Mitchell was the early golden boot leader and league MVP, while Henry has proven he can finish in bunches.

With that front three hitting their stride and the sting of two near-misses still fresh, Colts have both motivation and quality. If they can tighten up at the back to match their attack, “almost” won’t be good enough again. Expect Devonshire Colts to be right in the title race from day one.

PHC Zebras

Coach: Cecoy Robinson

2025-26 League finish: 3rd

Key player additions: Tarreko Wilson, Daniel Cook, Tristen Davis, Tokia Bean, Kimani Davis, Troy Hall Jr, Hayden Dill

Key player departures: Daren Usher, Keishon Bean, DeAndre Wainwright, Haile Eve, Diondre Dowling.

After finishing third last year and with no major trophies, PHC Zebras enter 2026-27 with unfinished business. Despite being solid contenders, Stadium Lane was left empty-handed and the off season brought major change.

One of the biggest departures was former captain Daren Usher, who has joined title pretenders X-Roads, among several exits that stripped the squad of experience. But PHC responded aggressively in the transfer market, bringing in a wealth of talent an youth.

The new-look Zebras may look stronger, deeper, and more balanced on paper but it may take time to gel on the pitch given they lost their first Dudley Eve Trophy Match 6-2 to the aforementioned Warriors.

Leading the rebuild is former club great Cecoy Robinson, now entering his second campaign as head coach with a clear mandate to turn contenders into champions.

With Enrique Russell’s goalscoring form still central and fresh faces bedding in, PHC can become prime contenders again but they may need to hit the ground running.

North Village Rams

Coach: Calvin “Patches” Dill

2025-26 League finish/record: 4th

2025-26 Honours: FA Cup winners

Key player additions: Kashe Hall

Key player departures: Terreko Wilson, Quinn Outerbridge

Last year’s fourth-place finish stung at North Village.

Just 12 months after lifting the league title, the Rams watched the championship slip away, but they salvaged pride — and silverware — by winning the FA Cup in coach Calvin “Patches” Dill’s debut season.

That trophy has only sharpened the appetite. Dill, now in year two, has added another shiny piece of silverware with the Charity Cup.

Kashe Hall is a key summer addition, brought in specifically to convert the draws that cost them dear in 2025-26.

It's a pleasure to have a guy like Kashe in the team,” said Dill of his newest signing. “It makes the team a lot stronger. He’s the type of player we were looking for and we have a few other surprises too.”

The squad’s spine remains, made up of experienced heads who remember what winning the league feels like and crop of youngsters pushing for minutes.

Expect a higher press and braver possession. The Rams were reactive last season but this time they want to dictate.

“We’re not here to just defend one Cup,” Dill said. “We want to win as many trophies as we can, and as of now we’re in all of them.

“The standard at North Village is to win and what we ask from the players, the coaching staff and everyone involved is commitment, which will see us through to success.

“Our goal is the Triple Crown. That’s what I see as success for North Village.”

Devonshire Cougars

Coach: Mark Smith

2025-26 League finish: 5th

Key player additions: Keishon Bean, Liam Evans, Drewonde Bascome. Dante Scraders, Ramsay Soutter, Darius Cox.

Key player departures: Keitaro Darrell.

The 2025-26 season was a tease for Devonshire Cougars.

Fifth place. A roller-coaster of highs and lows but ultimately more failure than success. However, average will not cut it this time with Cougars stockpiling some prime-time performers.

Keishon Bean, Drewonde Bascome, Liam Evans, Darius Cox and Dante Scraders all arrive, giving coach Mark Smith an embarrassment of riches, a most pleasant dilemma every coach wants with too much quality and not enough spots.

That abundance also raises the bar as a team that promised much at times last year now has to deliver.

With Bean’s finishing, Bascome’s creativity and the steel of Cox and Scraders, Cougars suddenly look dangerous in every phase. Evans also adds depth and steadiness to a squad that needs consistency.

Smith's challenge is turning talent into results. They lost a tight Devonshire Derby 4-3 before beating Paget 3-2 in their two Dudley Eve Trophy group matches. If he can blend the new faces quickly and find balance, Devonshire Cougars may do more than just flirt with the top four.

X-Roads Warriors

Coach: Farid El Karfa

2025-26 League finish: 6th

Key player additions: Daren Usher, Samuel Carolo.

Key player departures: Chiquon Smith

Since promotion to the Premier Division, they’ve been perennial also-rans and rarely in the title picture, always in the survival fight.

But that could be about to change under talented coach Farid El Karfa, who consistently gets the team to play above the sum of its parts. Organisation, workrate, and discipline have kept Warriors afloat year after year.

In Paul Simons and Danavon Thompson, X-Roads have the ability to always outscore their opponents but concerns remain regarding durability, overuse, and overdependence on their strikers.

The club tried to address that in the summer, acquiring young Samuel Carolo, who could provide support and fresh legs when he returns from college in the US, while Daren Usher comes in to bolster a defence that leaked too many goals last season

Expectations may just increase for the Warriors this year after they beat PHC 6-2 in their first Dudley Eve Trophy match. El Karfa may demand more than survival and it will be no surprise if they are in the hunt for some silverware this season.

St George’s Colts

Coach: Mishael Paynter

2025-26 League finish: 7th

2025-26 league/cup honours: Dudley Eve Trophy winners

Key player additions: David Signor.

Key player departures: Drewonde Bascome, Kashe Hall, Blaiz Hall, Malachi Trtott, Benjamin Osset, Liam Evans, Troy Hall Jr, Maquell Nisbett-Tankard, Leroy Lewis, Ramsay Soutter.

Rebuild or Relapse. If there was a “biggest loser” in the off season, it was St George’s Colts, with “gutted” the only word to describe what happened to the East Enders.

The attack is gone. Leroy Lewis and brothers Blaiz and Kashe Hall have all departed, taking goals and creativity with them. The midfield was stripped too, with Maquel Nesbitt-Tankard, Ramsay Soutter and Malachi Trott now history.

Even the spine is no longer intact. Goalkeeper Troy Hall Jr left along with defensive-minded Liam Evans and James Schroeder. Player/coach Drewonde Bascome is also out after one tough season in charge.

New head coach Mishael Paynter has walked into a huge job, with his task not chasing trophies but keeping St George’s in the Premier Division.

There may be some hidden talent left at Wellington Oval but it will take tremendous cohesion and hard work to retain their place in the division.

Paget Lions

Coach: Antwan Russell

2025-26 League finish: 8th

Key player additions: Jah-von Morgan, Tyler Welch.

Key player departures: Kion Knights, Daniel Cook, Rio Russell, Delray Rawlins.

A couple of seasons ago Paget Lions looked like a team on the rise but they struggled last year with a ninth-place finish acting as a warning.

Coach Antwan Russell now has to regroup a squad that lost its momentum and some key players this summer.

The departures hurt. National team defender Daniel Cook anchored the back line. Kion Knights, Rio Russell and Delray Rawlins all took experience and goals with them. Worse still, no significant new signings have offset the exodus.

That leaves Russell with a thin, familiar group and without reinforcements Paget will have to rely on internal development and discipline

If the Lions can rediscover their bite they can climb back to mid-table safety. If not, 2026-27 risks becoming a season spent looking over their shoulders.

Young Men’s Social Club

Coach: Marcelos Thomas

2025-26 League finish: 9th

Key player additions: Chiquon Smith

Key player departures: Clay Darrell

Young Men’s Social Club are not supposed to be here. Relegated last season with Boulevard, the Bluebirds got a lifeline when promoted Robin Hood withdrew from competition and the BFA invited them to stay in the Premier Division.

Coach Marcelos Thomas isn’t interested in just staying up.

“I don’t teach my players survival. I teach my players to compete,” Thomas said.

That may be easier said than done after they shipped nine goals to PHC in their first Dudley Eve Trophy match.

The squad is largely intact, with Clay Darrell as the most significant departure, while a few new faces have come in. Talisman Zeiko Lewis remains the focal point, training started before Cup Match and energy is high.

The main issue is clear with the team leaking far too many goals. Fix that and the attack can compete.

Somerset Trojans

Coach: Danvers Seymour Jr

2025-26 League Finish: 1st (First Division)

2025-26 Honours: First Division champions

Key player additions: Rio Russell, Maquel Nisbett-Tankard, Tahzeiko Harris, Vance Wall-Brown.

Key player departures: Tahj Wade, Leo Burgess, Malachi Henry

Somerset Trojans are not coming up just to survive. After a dominant 2025-26 First Division title run under Jensen Rogers, the West End club are back in the Premier Division with ambition.

Rogers has since moved to Devonshire Cougars with Trojans turning to familiar face Danvers Seymour Jr, who is no stranger to success after leading Somerset to the Premier title in 2015.

The club made major additions in the off season transfer market, attracting Rio Russell, Tahzeiko Harris, Maquel Nisbett-Tankard, Zico Saltus-Seymour and Vance Wall-Brown.

The new signees bring experience, goals and depth across the pitch. First-year teams usually fight relegation, but Somerset, with their rich history, expects more.

The challenge is gelling fast. If the new signings click and Seymour gets them organised early, it would come as no surprise to have Trojans pushing mid-table or higher instead of looking down.

First Division Preview

The First Division enters 2026-27 with storylines everywhere and a wide-open field.

No team has more to prove than Hamilton Parish Hot Peppers. After losing 16 players and forfeiting matches last season, Parish are back and talking double.

Vice-president Reid Trott has set the bar high, maybe too high, saying that he expects the club to challenge for both the First Division title and the Shield.

Parish’s rebuild was aggressive, with 26 players having joined or rejoined, including stalwarts Quinn Outerbridge and Leroy Lewis. Outerbridge gives them leadership at the back that Trott says the group will feed off.

Coach Omar Allen also inherits a wave of youth and if the mix of returning veterans and young legs gels, Parish may have the depth to threaten.

Boulevard drop down after Premier Division relegation and will expect an immediate bounce back. They have the pedigree but motivation after a tough top-flight year will be key.

Somerset Eagles finished third last season and will target at least one spot higher. Consistency hurt them in 2025-26, but if they tighten up, they’re right in the mix.

Southampton Rangers, St David’s Warriors and Wolves will all believe this is their year.

None were runaway teams last season, which means the door is open. Rangers and St David’s have history in promotion fights, while Wolves will hope stability gives them an edge in a crowded field. Vasco look like a franchise just making up the numbers.