Dear Sir,

Reality is Bermuda is not producing athletes who can compete on the international stage. Bermuda needs to wake up! We want professional results with amateur players!

It is quite evident that our foreign-based players in each sport tend to produce better results with more consistency than our local based players. For example, David Hemp in cricket, Shaun Goater and John Barry Nusum in football. Shaun and John are tied for the leading goalscorers in World Cup Qualifying. David Hemp has been the 'stand out' with the bat scoring 76 in the World Cup, and 23 in the Stanford 20/20.

Why are they producing better results? It's simple! They are professionals. It is their job to play the game every day. With everything that comes with being a professional (e.g. experience) they are able to produce results on the world stage. ( I'm not taking away from Malachi's and Sluggo's performances, but just imagine if they were playing county cricket week in and week out!)

Fact: Our national teams consist of the best players from our local clubs (and overseas players) Fact: The level of club sport is poor in Bermuda! Look at the state of the clubs, and the level of club football and cricket. The club level is poor, especially in football when you can't make five passes because every time you receive the ball you have to control it with your chest first!

Every club in Bermuda needs to be renovated, with the goal to produce more professional athletes, and athletes who can compete on the international stage. Every club needs the facilities to enable them to produce better athletes e.g. multi-purpose fields (football and cricket) with a decent playing surfaces. Having a separate training field is very important, so that fields are preserved for game days. Each club needs floodlights, nets, weight rooms etc.

Once we get world class facilities, we need people in place to run them! The president of each club needs to attend courses/seminars to see exactly how a club is run. Each club needs a technical director to oversee the development of the players through the club ranks. This person also needs to be trained and take courses for this position. All the coaches need to take coaching courses to ensure that the knowledge they are giving players will benefit them.

The big question is who's going to finance the renovation of all the clubs? Government? Corporate companies? Clubs will have to get loans?

Revitalising the level of club football and cricket is not enough. Realistically playing in Bermuda your whole life will not get you ready for the international stage. This is when the BCB, BFA and the Government have to step in.

Bermuda needs an academy of sports excellence!

My personal opinion is that is should be based in England. It's a country where the level of football and cricket is very high. You would be able to play top opposition week in and week out, while also having the chance of being scouted by various professional clubs and youth academies.

Whether we build our own or pay for students to enroll in an academy that already exists, it needs to be done!

I feel that 20 players a year from each sport should be enrolled in the academy each year. This will allow our raw talent to be developed. Having said all this, I'm not saying by putting this plan into action we are going to win the World Cup! But I do believe that this plan will help us to achieve realistic goals, which need to be set by the BFA and BCB.

For the BFA, a realistic goal is becoming a powerhouse in the Caribbean, competing against and beating the likes of Jamaica, Trinidad, Cuba and Haiti. For the BCB, a realistic goal will be to remain a top associate country. This may possibly mean qualifying for the World Cup again.

Finally I would like to say I know this is a huge plan. It will not happen overnight, and we as a country will have to be patient. It will take a lot of financing, planning and commitment, but it can be achieved.

I know as a country of avid sports fans, we are tired of seeing poor results. But if we want to see a change, this is the road we must take. Instead of us focusing on making excuses for our poor results, we need to focus on what we can do to change the poor results.

I challenge us as a country to make a change. Or we can sit back and continue to produce poor results and make up excuses every time we feel "embarrassed"!

A VOICE THAT NEEDS

TO BE HEARD

Dear Sir,

Please allow me a bit of space to express my disappointment at the harsh criticism being directed towards our Under-19 and Women's national cricket teams.

These players are doing the best that they can. Anyone who follows cricket would have recognised a long time ago that our Under-19 team would have its hands full.

Although crowned champions of the Americas region, it is common knowledge that the chasm between the standard of play in our region and that of Test-playing countries is huge.

The establishment of the Americas region was great in that it provided countries like ours with a short cut to the World Cup. Being able to actually compete there will take far more time and effort.

With respect to the women's team, the finger must be pointed at those who decided that they would enter the competition in the first place. To throw together a group of players who don't even have the benefit of a domestic league to play in and enter the World Cup is just plain ludicrous.

Criticism should, however, be directed at the BCB for failing to provide three national teams preparing for international competition with a decent field to train - i.e. Sea Breeze Oval.

Why do I go on and on about this?

Because I can recall way back in 2001 when Bermuda were preparing for the ICC Trophy tournament we had the same problem. I was a Board member at the time and I can recall the captain of the team, Charlie Marshall, asking me to talk to the Board about the need for his side to have a proper field on which to train.

I promised him I would and I did but all my pleas fell on deaf ears.

This severely hindered the team's chances to qualify back then and I have no doubt that this time around it played a major part in our teams' performances!

Finally I would like to thank former Bermuda international Saleem Mukuddem for his candid contribution to the Big Debate in yesterday's paper. If his advice is acted upon it may well turn out to be his biggest contribution to cricket on this Island. If ever an individual deserved Bermuda status it is Saleem.

RECMAN