Fresh on their heels of their success against Jamaica's Under-23 squad, Bermuda's footballers are set for another test against international opposition.

The Bermuda Football Association confirmed yesterday that Canada's Under-23 squad will visit the Island next month.

And BFA technical committee chairman Robert Calderon also revealed that while the organisation's main hope for the year was to gain entry into the Pan Am Games in August, if that does not materialise a tour to England is in the pipelines.

The schedule is part of the BFA's plan to expose the Island's elite soccer players to as much international competition as possible.

Gary Darrell's men got his return to the helm off to the best possible start on New Year's Day when they came from behind to beat Jamaica at the National Sports Centre.

While the Canadians do not have the same international pedigree as Jamaica, they are bound to provide stern opposition to the Island squad.

Calderon said it was hoped to stage three matches in February, two involving the national team and the third possibly against a Premier Division side.

"We would like to be involved in more competitive matches in order to make sure that we are developing in the proper way," Calderon said of the BFA's programme.

"We are not at the stage where we feel that we are going to win the Olympics or qualify for the World Cup but at the same time that is where we are aiming.

"What we are looking for is the ultimate gauge in terms of where we currently stand. Along the way we would like to be involved in competitive matches to help determine what gulf may still exist and what we need to brush up on."

Soccer's regional governing body CONCACAF will determine whether or not Bermuda will be invited to the Pan Am Games on January 27. The Games take place in the Dominican Republic between August 1 and 17.

"The idea really is to involve this team in the Pan American Games but failing that - and it all depends on money - we will be looking to take this team away to the UK," said Calderon. "We are very much in the development stages and so we have to involve ourselves in more international competitions."

Sending local teams overseas is a costly venture, and Calderon said tours, like the one against Jamaica, provided the association with a means of generating funds to help offset that financial burden. It is hoped that a repeat of this year's format will be possible next Christmas with Costa Rica providing the opposition.

"The key here is to continue to bring teams into Bermuda to give us the exposure internationally and allows us the opportunity to make some money," he said.

"It also gives the opportunity to expose more then national team players to international competition.

"I think that the Christmas tour was a huge success in that we were able to make some money and the sporting public got the chance to witness a good level of football."

The Under-23 team is currently training twice a week - Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings - and Calderon said the BFA hoped the nucleus of the squad would be together for some time to come.

"The key is to keep the team relatively young," he said. "We want to have players that will be available for the next seven years as opposed to players that can only play for the next two years."

This Friday's scheduled Premier Division clash between Devonshire Cougars and PHC Zebras has been moved to January 14 at Devonshire Rec.