Much like 20-20 cricket has revitalised the sport in many countries, Island Soccer League Commissioner David Bascome is hoping his new six-a-side competition will have a similar effect in Bermuda when it kicks off next Tuesday evening.

With only around 100 spectators turning out on Wednesday night to watch the Island’s other fledgling football venture, the Bermuda Hogges, Bascome is well aware that everybody involved with the ISL is going to have to pull out all the stops to persuade a lethargic public to support it.

As a consequence, Bascome has been selling the ISL a little differently to the Hogges — promising faster-paced action, music, live acts, food and plenty of sponsors’ giveaways.

“We realise how critical Tuesday night is,” he said.

“What we’re selling is not just football but an event. We’ve got to make it work straight away. When people pay $20 for a ticket they expect to be entertained and if they’re not, you lose them — and if you lose them, you never get them back.

“What I’ve tried to stress to the league’s 120 players is that we’re in the entertainment business. I’ve asked them to go out there to play hard, have fun and make it an enjoyable evening for the people who come to watch.

“We’re doing things a little differently from the Bermuda Hogges. There’s two games a night, each game lasts an hour and is divided into four quarters, with a two-minute break between each and a ten-minute break at the half.

“As a result we have a lot more breaks to do other things, so the music will be pumping and there’ll be a lot going on in between the football.

“The advantage of six-a-side is everything happens a lot quicker — much like you have with 20-20 cricket — so there’s always lots of goals, lots of energy and lots of talking points.

“Overall we think we’ve got something which the public will enjoy.”

All through his playing career Bascome has been forced to battle the perception that the “smaller” game is a far less prestigious, less skilful and less interesting version of football than it’s eleven-a-side cousin.

When in full-time charge of the national team, current interim coach Kenny Thompson publicly questioned whether Bascome — an unashamed indoor specialist — would be able to adjust well enough to the demands of the 11-a-side outdoor game to be included in his national squad.

And while Hogges co-owner Shaun Goater is an enthusiastic supporter of the ISL, he has maintained all along that any talented player who is serious about pursuing a career in the sport should be trying to play for the Hogges.

Bascome, however, hopes the public will give the ISL a chance to work and eventually come to appreciate that he has created a “professional and disciplined” environment where the players involved can improve and thrive.

“People are entitled to their opinion about the smaller game, but I’m confident that those who come along to watch the matches will appreciate its strong points,” he said.

“The point of the ISL all along has been to put 120 players into a controlled, professional environment and to promote role models for our youngsters.

“That’s what we set out to do and I think once the league gets going people will see what I mean. Yes, I probably could have tried to come back and set up a new 11-a-side league, but in a small place like Bermuda with a limited talent pool, that would have proved very difficult. We have to be realistic.

“In my opinion six-a-side works very well here given the pool of players at our disposal. But as I said, all of us involved with the league have to work incredibly hard to make sure it works out.”