Goalkeeper coach Dashun Cooper is back home in Bermuda and relishing his favourite time of the year.

Cooper uses his summer break to influence the next generation of talent on island but this year he is taking a leap of faith after leaving his role at Queens Park Rangers.

After coaching the West London club’s rising academy talent, Cooper left at the end of the season, but is confident that he will find a new home for his talent in the coming months.

“I have full faith that I can find another job because it’s not like how it was five seasons ago when I first moved and I couldn’t really get my foot in the door,” Cooper said.

“Now both my feet are in the door and I have full faith that I’ll be fine for next season. I have a body of work now that I can rely on and that people have seen.”

Faith is a big part of Cooper’s life and he looks back fondly at his time at QPR, making a difference in the lives of young players.

“I had some really good mentors in Coach [Andrew] Bascome, Timmy Figureido and Maurice Lowe,” Cooper said.

“I took little bits off them, but I have realised that we all have a lot of influence to younger people and if we use that influence for bad reasons, it will only generate bad things.

“If we use our influence in really good ways, it can produce tons of good fruit.

“A lot of good things have happened in my life and that only comes because of God's mercy and God's grace.

“One of my favourite memories of the season was leading a Bible study session with my players. We were away to Fleetwood Town one night, we were in the hotel and a couple of boys asked me if they could do some Bible study.

“I thought it would only be about three or four of them but I ended up leading the whole team and that was massive for me, probably more massive than even winning the Premier League Cup last season.”

Cooper has been giving back to Bermuda for nearly a decade and has many examples of the young players he has helped on and off the field.

“I’m always so happy when I come back to Bermuda,” he said.

“This is actually my tenth summer doing sessions and I’m proud to see what some of the young men I have coached have gone on to do.

“Milai Perott is at Notts County now and Kamran Harvey is starting to do his own coaching and his own sessions.

“In a non-footballing sense, Aidan Wells is a pilot now. When I met him almost ten years ago, he told me he wanted to play for Chelsea or be a pilot. A lot of others are now at universities studying and playing football.

“When they come home, they will contribute to society here and that is something I am proud of.”

Cooper is available for sessions throughout the summer or perhaps longer, depending on his employment status.

“I am really looking forward to resetting during this period and using my experience at an elite academy like QPR to help young people this summer.

“My aim is to be available as much as I can, so I would urge people to reach out and I’m sure we can find a time.”

• Dashun Cooper can be reached on WhatsApp on 704-6911 or by e-mail at bdagoalkeeping@gmail.com. He will take sessions for younger players on Monday afternoons, and Saturday and Sunday mornings. For older groups, those aged 16 and up, he will be available on weekday mornings and late evenings per request