Bermuda Hogges are set to take no part in the United Soccer Leagues Division Two (USL-D2) next season and are preparing to enter a team in the Professional Development League (PDL) instead.

The surprise venture would end Hogges' three-season stint in the USL-D2 and fall in line with the BFA's drive to develop the under-23 national team ahead of next year's Olympic and Pan Am qualifiers.

BFA officials Derek Broadley, a former PDL coach at Reading Rage, and David Sabir travelled to Florida for the USL's Annual General Meeting (AGM) last week with Hogges secretary, Paul Scope, to finalise the terms of the agreement.

It remains unclear what roles Hogges president, Shaun Goater, and coach, Kyle Lightbourne would have in the new framework.

A BFA statement released yesterday, read: "The BFA and the Hogges have held discussions relative to a possible partnership.

"BFA executives joined the Hogges executives at the recently concluded USL AGM and the discussions have advanced to the point that we should be in a position to provide a more definitive position very soon."

Hogges coach Lightbourne yesterday confirmed the club was considering entering a team in the PDL next season, while a BFA insider described the initiative as a "brilliant venture".

Hogges secretary Paul Scope stressed that nothing had been set in stone but said the franchise and the BFA were looking at a number of options for next season, including the PDL.

The intriguing move would offer the Island's most talented youngsters regular competitive matches against the United States' top amateur players in a league which is seen as the 'shop window' for aspiring future MLS stars.

Last summer Scott Morton's under-23 national team played seven games against USL-D2 sides at BFA Field and the PDL squad would likely be made up of the same group of players.

But while the future appears rosy for Bermuda's starlets, the end of Hogges as a USL-D2 team would almost certainly bring the shutters down on the old guard's semi-professional days, representing a double blow as their international careers are also under threat after the BFA reaffirmed their commitment to youth by arranging under-20 matches against Trinidad over the festive period.

Goalkeeper Nigel Burgess, a regular for the Hogges, said he was disappointed to learn he may no longer be able to play semi-pro football with the franchise, but believed joining the PDL would be financially more viable for the team's owners.

"It's a bit disappointing to read about it beforehand," said the Hamilton Parish shot-stopper. "We were hoping to get another season and we got the impression we would be getting one more shot.

"But with that being said, we understood the financial constraints that the owners are up against. Whenever you can get to play against international opposition it's always a plus, and that's exactly what we need."

Hogges suffered indifferent form in the USL-D2 finishing bottom of the league standings in 2007 and 2009, and second from last in 2008.

The PDL is currently the top level amateur competition in the US, and has 68 teams competing in four conferences, split into eight regional divisions. PDL rules dictate that a maximum of eight players on each team's 26-man roster can be over 23 years old, while at least three players on each team's roster must be 18 or younger.