The National Sports Centre's Board of Trustees may cause the complex to become a white elephant.

Expressing disgust with recent charges by Chairman of the Trustees Donald Lines that the NSC is owed substantial amounts by sporting organisations, President of Bermuda Football Association (BFA) Larry Mussenden says sports bodies may have to consider holding events elsewhere if the trustees' current attitude prevails.

"If the trustees want to adopt the view that sports organisation should be paying to maintain that facility then we may come to the point where sports organisations have to consider not using the NSC and look at other venues in Bermuda to have our programmes.

"Then they can have a stadium that's used even less than it's used now - which is not that much to begin with," said an irate Mussenden.

He and other sports leaders have criticised the "prohibitive" rent rates for the Frog Lane stadium and the football boss reiterated that "no sports organisation in Bermuda has a lot of money for their basic programmes let alone trying to meet the (financial) requirements for using the NSC".

Mussenden disclosed that apart from a rental fee for the stadium, sports bodies had to pay for lights, security, a groundsman (and his overtime) as well as surrender a cut of the gate. Yet, the one area through which they could possibly recoup some of their expenses - the concession stand - is off limits to sporting groups.

"That is another way for us to raise funds while having an event there but that is about to be given to some private business," he said, calling for that decision to be rethought.

Noting it's "not right" for the trustees to be trying to maintain the stadium by charging national sports bodies high fees, he challenged Government to consider others ways of running the NSC.

"I invite the Government to consider doing away with the trust and trustees and come up with some other concept for developing and managing the NSC. Perhaps it could be managed by a Government department or people who have a closer connection with the sports bodies."

The BFA president said part of the Board's mandate was "to raise funds through business contacts in order to help the complex" but they "have failed miserably".

"I want the trustees to tell Bermudians how much money have they raised - outside of what Government has given them - for the Sport Centre's development," he challenged.

Further, Mussenden contended that Lines "is clearly not on the same page" as Sports Minister Randy Horton regarding the running of the NSC, given the chairman's comments on Government's decision to allow national cricket and football squads to train at the stadium for free.

"This country has got to realise sport is just as important as education in developing our young people and I don't see children having to pay to attend public schools. So why should they have to pay - through their organisations - to use Government facilities for sport?

"There is a direct correlation between national sports bodies and the National Sports Centre. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out and that national sports bodies should not be asked to pay.

"Every national sports body that has an event at the NSC faces serious costs in trying to make the event work financially. First of all, most of us are in the Caribbean zone for competitions so we have the expenses of teams coming from the Caribbean up here. It's rare that we can declare a profit," he said, declining to disclose the BFA's debt to the NSC.

The BFA, he explained, often has to help visiting teams with travel costs plus absorb all on-Island expenses, the biggest of which are accommodation and transportation. Given that football teams and management usually number at least 20 persons, bills can be extremely high.

The BFA faced a $30,000 accommodation bill for last summer's International Youth Tournament, he revealed.

"And that's for staying in barracks at Warwick Camp. Can you imagine the cost for a hotel?"