The plight of local soccer players struggling to secure work permits as they chase a professional career in England was scheduled to be the main item of discussion during a Bermuda Football Association executive meeting last night.

Steven Astwood, Tokia Russell, Tommy Carter and Rohaan Simons are among those who have recently had successful trials in England only to be told their professional future depended on securing a work permit.

Astwood has been offered a one-year contract with First Division Preston North End but will remain on the sidelines until the permit problem is resolved.

According to Football Association rules, overseas players must have played in 75 percent of their country's international games during the previous two years and that country must rank among FIFA's top 75 in the world in order for a work permit to be granted. However, a number of exceptions to that rule appear to have been made.

Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox revealed last week that Bermuda Government were looking into the matter.

BFA president Neville Tyrrell said yesterday it was vital that steps be taken to prevent the kind of problems that the players in England are now encountering.

It was essential, he said, that clear and definitive guidelines be put in place for players pursuing a professional career.

"I am going to table a position that we set down some guidelines to the clubs, players and anybody acting as agents, so that they understand how to go about doing these sort of things. The BFA needs to be involved and involved early enough so that if some assistance is required, whether it's for help or anything like that, we can offer it,'' said Tyrrell.

Tyrrell said the BFA were not always informed when a player embarked on trials overseas, sometimes learning of their venture only through the media.

"What's happened with this flood of people going away to the UK unannounced to us, and I emphasise unannounced, is that we have only found out because there has been a problem,'' added Tyrrell. "And we have actually been in the background assisting the problem during this current dilemma.

"What we have received is confirmation from Government that they are prepared to help but at the same time we need to obviously let them know ahead of time and the only way we can do that is to advise people what they have to do and that is something that I am going to table tonight.

"It's unfortunate that players have been caught up in this work permit exercise but then it's the law of the country that one is required to follow.

There are avenues available to us as a country to assist the players and these avenues are being followed.'' The president ruled out any likelihood that the BFA would become more involved in getting players overseas for trials, noting that their role was to concentrate on the development of soccer programmes locally and to prepare national teams for international competition.

But he said, like all of Bermuda, the BFA were proud when players succeeded in reaching their goals such as Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne.

"We will assist any player who comes to us wanting assistance to play abroad, but it's the player's decision. We can spot talent but that's not our role, we are not agents,'' he said.

"Of course, if a player says he has some interest and seeks assistance from us then we will be happy to offer help.''