I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard about the rumours that the delay in announcing the Bermuda Hogges squad was down to some of the players being reluctant to submit to our strict drugs testing policy.

I have absolutely no idea where that information came from or who was putting it about, but I’d like to take this opportunity to categorically reject it.

We’ve had a very high turn-out at team training recently and having spoken to all of the players involved, Kyle Lightbourne, Paul Scope and myself are all confident that there will be no problems in that regard. I really am baffled as to how all these rumours came to the surface.

As I have said before, the sole reason why we have not as yet been able to make the 26-man squad public is that the United Soccer League requires that all the players are registered with them before any announcement is made.

And it’s not just a matter of handing over the names either. There are all sorts of extra details that have to be given to the league, including even the blood type of each of the players in case of a major on-field injury.

This has been an enormously time-consuming process, but one that we simply have to go through.

We would be fined severely by the USL if we announced the squad prematurely or discussed its makeup in any way — so obviously we have to be disciplined. We would love to announce the squad right now — but that’s just not possible.

Once again though, drug testing has nothing whatsoever to do with the delay and anybody saying otherwise is just plain wrong. Suffice to say that we have submitted all the required information to the league and we expect to hear back from them by the middle of next week.

Another aspect of the league’s rules that both the public and the players should be aware of is that although we will name a squad of 26, the make-up of the squad is not set in stone by any means and we have the right to draft in other players if injuries or suspensions require it.

Only in the last few weeks of the season do we have to stick to a definitive roster of players, so if we run into a spate of injuries or certain players are not meeting the high standards expected of every single member of the Hogges, then we are entitled to make changes.

Saying that though, in my last professional season with Southend we played something like 45 games with a squad of 20 — plus one or two youth academy players — so all things being equal a squad of 26 should be sufficient to get us through the season.

Meanwhile, I’d like to announce that Hogges tickets are now available to buy online at www.bermudaboxoffice.com. The price is $25 for adults, although we have decided that kids under the age of 15 will get in to watch the action for free.

We believe that offers families who want to come out and support the team a pretty fantastic deal — we’re very keen to ensure that the whole Hogges experience is family orientated and to have hundreds or even thousands of youngsters in the stands is what we’re all about.

So if everything works out with player registration, by next week we should be in a position to begin the season in earnest. Stay tuned to this column and please, give the lads all they support you possibly can when it comes time for the matches to start.