Over 150 awe-struck parents, avid coaches and young footballers braved Tuesday?s late afternoon showers and jammed inside Somerset Cricket Club?s auditorium to receive a few valuable pointers from Baltimore Blast professional player David Bascome.

Bascome, overlooked for Bermuda national team selection during this year?s World Cup qualifying campaign, has been recruited by Somerset to conduct hands-on coaching clinics and a series of motivational speeches geared toward improving the West End club?s overall football programme.

Somerset Trojans won promotion to the Premier Division and clinched the First Division Shield during the 2003-04 campaign under the directorship of former captain Dennis Brown and his supporting staff.

?It was good to see such great support and it?s always good to have that whenever you have players or coaches trying to develop in the right direction,? said Bascome.

?I felt it was important to leave an impression on the entire process of developing young players in Bermuda ? both as individuals and as players. ?Obviously we all know the mind controls the body but without the mind being developed then the body is just not going to follow.?

Another important element in terms of developing well-rounded players, explained Bascome, is imparting ?respect? upon players at the youth levels.

?We have to go back to the old school. . . getting that respect back,? he added. ?That?s what Tuesday?s meeting was all about. . . giving these young players some direction both on and off the field.?

Bascome was due to hold a blackboard session for those in attendance at the West End club last night before he returns to Baltimore early next week.

Meanwhile, Somerset Cricket Club youth committee administrator Carmen Harvey described Tuesday?s meeting as a ?resounding success?.

She said: ?From the time David (Bascome) began speaking the audience was kept in awe while the kids remained on the edge of their seats. Nobody wanted to leave the meeting as he David involved everyone in his presentation and we are very much looking forward to having him also assist us with the administrative part of our football programme.?