Premier Division coaches Richard Todd and Jack Castle have given the revised Bermuda Football Association (BFA) Challenge Cup competition the thumbs up.

To avoid having the competition's top contenders being pitted against each other in the early rounds, all Premier Division clubs have been excluded from the preliminary and first rounds of the prestigious knockout competition moving forward, thus enhancing the chances of more Commercial and First Division clubs progressing further in the tournament.

This season's competition kicks off November 9 with the draw for the opening two rounds scheduled to take place today at BFA headquarters.

Todd, who is assistant coach at Boulevard, is among those who have embraced the FA Cup's new format which he believes the so-called minnows also stand to benefit from.

"If you look at it from another perspective this format might give some of the lower end teams an opportunity to stay in the competition longer instead of being knocked out early by a big gun," he said. "And assuming they get funds from the gate from those games (FA Cup), I think the new format has the potential to have a positive financial impact on those lower division clubs if they are still in the competition for longer rounds.

"I think it makes sense and I just wonder why it (FA Cup) hasn't been this way all this time. I also think the new format is a plus for the fans who will get to see some of the much anticipated match ups."

The BFA introduced the Challenge Cup in November 1955. During that period racial segregation was the way of life in Bermuda and domestic football at the senior level was played under the auspices of the Bermuda Football League (for black clubs) and the Bermuda Football Combination (for white clubs).

Although teams from these distinctly separate organisations occasionally competed against each other in friendlies, it was not until late 1955 when black and white clubs were given an opportunity to play against each other for the prestigious BFA Challenge Cup.

Bermuda Athletic Association (BAA) were the competition's inaugural winners in 1956, while PHC Zebras, the first black club to triumphantly raise the coveted showpiece, are the only team to win the competition on ten occasions having achieved the unprecedented milestone last season.

Zebras assistant coach, Jack Castle, also subscribes to the competition's new format.

"I think this is a very good thing and I don't have any gripes about the new changes," he said. "I think it's a good thing not to have the Premier and First Division clubs involved in the preliminary round as some of the Commercial clubs will now have a better opportunity to progress in the competition."

Last season saw Castle's Zebras pull off lopsided wins over Commercial rivals Vasco Mariners (8-0) and Key West Rangers (12-0) on the way to a record tenth FA Cup title. It is mismatches such as these which might have weighed heavily on the BFA's decision to revise the 52 year old tournament.

"Winning 12-0 against Key West Rangers didn't really do much to help our cause," Castle added. "We probably would have been better off having a bye that would've afforded us more time to train.

"I think with the amount of teams that presently compete in the Commercial Division this is a very good thing for them. Now they will get to play against teams from their own division as opposed to being drawn against a bigger club and being knocked out at the first hurdle."