West Ham legend Clyde Best believes his former club's link-up with Bermuda Football Association (BFA) is "a win-win situation" and will help the Island produce more professional players.

Last week the BFA and the Hammers teamed up in a football development agreement which will give the Premier League club first pick of the national academy's top youngsters and see Bermuda players and coaches going in the opposite direction to gain experience.

Best thinks establishing such a relationship will give Bermudians a greater chance of turning pro and in turn transform the national team into a force to be reckoned with.

"West Ham are willing to work with us in any which way they can," said Best, who starred for the Hammers from 1968 to 1976.

"I think it's a win-win situation for us.

"We can send our players and coaches over there to see first hand how a top club is run.

"West Ham are very successful at the youth level and have an incredible record of bringing players through."

The former striker who also played for Feyenoord is "waiting patiently" for another Bermudian to make the grade at Upton Park, the home of West Ham, and has not given up hope of one day seeing his country qualify for the World Cup.

"I'm waiting very patiently for another Bermudian to play for West Ham – I hope it comes," he said."Everybody wants their country to be at the World Cup. If I can see Bermuda play in a World Cup before I close my eyes I would be over the moon, but it will take having professional players.

"We need to get as many as we can to stand any chance."

Best was one of the first Bermudians to play professional football and was a trailblazer for black players in England.

Currently the only Bermudians making money out of the game are Reggie Lambe at Ipswich Town and Logan Alexander at Baltimore Blast in the National Indoor Soccer League (NISL).

Former Lincoln City player Khano Smith and ex-Vancouver Whitecaps winger Tyrell Burgess are both looking for a route back into the pro ranks after being released by their respective clubs, while John Barry Nusum is hoping to re-sign with North American Soccer League (NASL) team, Crystal Palace Baltimore.

Yesterday, West Ham's youth academy left the Island after playing in the Clyde Best Invitational Tournament against French side, Saint-Etienne, and two national academy teams.

Best said the annual tournament, which started four years ago, had grown in stature and revealed the BFA planned to increase the number of teams for the next edition.

"It's imperative we get our kids to play more games against quality opposition.

"Last year we had FC Sochaux, from France, and Colorado Rapids from the MLS and it was great to bring over West Ham and Saint-Etienne this year.

"We hope to do it again next year, maybe even spread our wings a little bit further.

"Once the word gets out that we have quality pitches and that the tournament is well run you will get more teams to come out here."

Bermuda's Red and Grey team should not be disappointed with their defeats, said Best, and will only improve by testing themselves against some of Europe's finest young players.

"It was a very high standard of play. Our boys did better as the tournament went on and I liked the work ethic of the Red team and the younger Grey team – they did the best they could," Best said.

"Saint-Etienne and West Ham played some really good stuff, but you have to remember their players have been with the club since they were eight years old and train regularly."

BFA youth director, Devarr Boyles, said the tournament's matches would have helped Bermuda's youngsters prepare for the Under-17 World Cup qualifiers.

"We need to get more matches, all national academy coaches say the same thing," said Boyles.

"Matches are where the players really learn. During the tournament they learned something and we learned something.

"These matches are preparing them for the Under-17 World Cup qualifiers.

"That's the short-term and then they can focus on the next level and go from there."