Association's presidency resolved, and senior soccer back on track.

But don't for a minute believe everything's rosy in the BFA garden.

Far from it.

Football in Bermuda is perhaps at its lowest ebb for many years.

Generally, the senior standard is not very high, referees are still in short supply and, more significantly, so are spectators.

But on top of all this, maybe the most distressing sign is the lack of interest -- or perceived lack of interest -- in the schools, traditionally the world over where the sport has been at its strongest.

News last week that there may not be a Schools All-Star game this year simply because not enough boys are playing the game must have come as a huge surprise to those who follow the sport. How on earth could a school as large as CedarBridge not produce a single team? Why is it that just three senior schools have been competitive in football this term? What's happened to the rest? If football isn't healthy in the schools, what hope is there at senior level? Saltus PE teacher and long-time BFA administrator Jon Beard has suggested that some pupils might prefer to play for clubs rather than their own schools, indicating that they don't consider school soccer to be "cool.'' But even he, as chairman of the Schools Sports Federation, says he's at a loss to explain the sudden and dramatic drop in numbers.

Schools soccer might be seen by some as "uncool'', but that alone surely can't account for the current malaise.

In the past, the annual School All-Star games have featured prominently on the sports calendar, often attracting crowds as big as a local cup final.

That boys are no longer interested in playing tells us something has gone terribly wrong.

At middle school level this term, all eight schools featured in a soccer programme. But among the seniors, only Saltus, Mount St. Agnes and Berkeley were able to produce teams, and even Berkeley were unable to field a side for their last match.

Warwick Academy were among the no-shows but the major concern must be at CedarBridge where, with so many boys to choose from, one would have thought the game would thrive.

After all, four of their PE teachers, Devarr Boyles, Kenny Thompson, Dean Minors and Nyon Steede, are involved in some capacity with both senior club and national teams.

How ironic that Thompson coaches the national under-17 squad but can't raise a side from his own school.

While the BFA's constitution puts a strong emphasis on the promotion of soccer at all levels, there really isn't a great deal the governing body can do.

They've already stated in the past that a boy who refuses to play for his school shouldn't be allowed to play for a senior club. But that rule isn't being enforced and perhaps it's time that the schools make sure it is.

As our national sport, soccer should be an integral part of the school curriculum. Seemingly, it is no longer.

If pupils are disinterested in the game, that's one thing. But if they're keen to play outside the school but not within, that's another.

And it's a problem that the Department of Education should consider addressing.

School soccer is crucial in the development of the game. If the programme collapses at that level, the knock-on effect could be catastrophic.

-- ADRIAN ROBSON