With the 16th World Cup now history and Bermuda continuing the rebuilding of their national programme with the 2002 competition in mind, Technical Director Clyde Best yesterday threw out a challenge to the community to get behind the Island's effort.

Best leads an under-21 national team to St. Kitts today for three matches in the next six days in search of a qualifying place for next month's CAC Games in Venezuela.

It's a busy period for both the players and Best as the bulk of this squad will also be involved in the Bermuda Under-20 team's qualifying matches for the Youth World Cup next month in Jamaica when they will play the host country and Barbados.

The long term goal, if recent recommendations from the Coaching Committee of Bermuda Football Association are to be followed, is to compete in the next World Cup.

But, insists Best, it's going to take a committed effort from everybody.

"What people have to understand is it is going to take a lot of money and a lot of support from the public and the businesses because we can't continue to take players away and not have them know whether or not they are going to have a job when they come back,'' said Best yesterday.

In that regard not much has changed since Best himself was a national squad player 30 years ago.

"It's something that's always been in existence in Bermuda,'' he added.

"If you represent your country you should be looked at in a different light and that has to start from the people above. You can't ask a guy to represent his country and then when he comes back home he doesn't know if he's going to have a paycheque. That's not fair.

"We have to change our attitude towards sports. We either want to do it properly or we don't want to do it properly.

"I'm just tired of having to fight to get permission from the bosses. We can't be successful that way. We're not just talking about soccer but also about turning out good role models.

"If you have good sportsmen then nine times out of 10 you're going to have good citizens.'' The under-21s have a major task ahead of them in the next week as the winners of their group, which also includes Barbados, Grenada and the host country, will advance to next month's CAC Games in Venezuela.

The opening match for Bermuda will be on Friday against St. Kitts, followed by Barbados on Sunday and Grenada next Tuesday. The bulk of the present squad travelled to the Cayman Islands in April for qualifying in the CONCACAF Zone of the Youth World Cup. Bermuda won their two-leg qualifier against the host country and next month travel to Jamaica for the second qualifying round against Barbados and Jamaica.

"From what I've seen, all the guys can play and they understand the way we are trying to play,'' said Best. "I look to do some good things with them.'' Best has been working with the squad for the last couple of weeks after some players returned from school abroad.

"I'm taking them because they have been more active than anybody else,'' he explained. "Some of the guys who came back from college are not as fit and some I've had to leave at home and take the younger guys.'' When asked how soon this crop of youngsters could advance to the senior squad the coach replied: "Sooner than you think.'' Having watched the World Cup which ended on Sunday, Best, a former professional in England with West Ham, is a strong believer that Bermuda should enter the qualifying rounds for the 2002 World Cup which is scheduled for Japan and South Korea.

Now is the time to start preparing for that, but it will take a major commitment from the community, Best warned.

Squad: Jay Smith, Anthony Swan, John Barry Nusum, Jelani Scott, Ralph Bean, Dennis Zuill, Sekai Waldron, Joey Rego, Chae Simmons, Kofi Dill, Tyrone Smith, Vernon Tankard, Sullivan Phillips, Damon Ming, Kaiwon Dill, David Thomas, Jamal Warren, Harry Hunt, Clyde Best (coach), Gregory Grimes (manager), Curtis Place (physio).