Parents will start signing up their children today for the Bascome/Goater Pro Soccer School which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Harrisburg Heat's David Bascome and Manchester City's Shaun Goater will meet those signing up at the Front Street branch of sponsors Bank of Bermuda between 12 noon and 2 p.m.

Bascome said: "It's great when you're a professional to come home and give something back to the young kids. Coaching right now is about overall development. I want them to understand that what they do on the field, they should also do off the field.

"I think a lot of people have lost respect for the game and have lost touch with what this game's all about. And we want to bring that understanding back."

Goater said he found helping to run the camp, between July 2 and 8 at the National Sports Centre, an inspirational experience.

"The game in England has become such a business now, but coming back here instils in me all the old feelings I used to have about football before I left," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to getting out there, running up and down and having fun. So when I go back to England that enthusiasm is instilled in me once again and that helps get me through the pre-season training."

Around 200 children will go through next month's camp, many more than when the pair first started the camp in 1991.

A veteran of all nine past camps is 16-year-old CedarBridge student Jahnai Raynor, a member of the Bermuda under-17 side which drew big crowds to the National Stadium earlier this year for the Youth World Cup qualifiers.

"It's a fun experience to play soccer in the summer, the off-season, with the help of some of the greatest players on the Island," he said.

"They've showed me the basic foundations of soccer like passing, dribbling, heading, shooting. These two are great people to know and great people to have fun with. David is a person who can open up a career for you.

"I went away with him last year to see what some of the Americans are like. I would like to become a professional player, or if not, a physiotherapist."

Male and female players aged between six and 18 are welcome to sign up. The older ones (10-18) will train between 9.00 and 11.00 a.m. each day while the younger ones (six to eight) will be coached from 6.00-8.00 p.m.