Two aspiring Bermuda footballers will be able to learn to play the West Ham way when they make a 10-day trip to the UK to train with the Premier League's club's youth academy.

National academy starlets Paul Douglas, 13, and 12-year-old Amar Lewis, will both be looking to catch the eye of the Hammers' coaching staff in East London next week.

Douglas has been granted $4,400 from the (former) Ministry of Sport to cover the costs of his trip, while Lewis was invited for try-outs after impressing West Ham's coaches at the team's training camp at BFA Field in the summer.

Bermuda Football Association (BFA) forged links with the Hammers as part of a football development agreement at the start of the year. The partnership gives the Hammers first pick of the national academy's best youngsters with Bermuda's players and coaches going in the opposite direction to gain experience.

BFA technical director Derek Broadley will accompany Douglas and Lewis to the UK where they will also watch three Premier League matches and enjoy a sightseeing tour of England's capital city.

Broadley said the talented pair would be making the first tentative steps along a long pathway into the professional game.

"The days when Kyle (Lightbourne) and Shaun (Goater) and other people went on trial are gone now. The process is more sophisticated now," said Broadley.

"The two boys are not technically going on trial, they're going to have an experience of working at West Ham. I've informed both the players and their parents that the best they can hope for is to be asked back again.

"If they do well then there's a good chance West Ham will want a second look and that could be here on Island. That's the beauty of our partnership with West Ham."

Mount Saint Agnes pupil, Douglas, is a standout player for Richmond Harriers in the US, while fellow midfielder, Lewis, of Dandy Town, also turns out for the Florida Soccer Alliance (FSA) and has competed in the USL's SuperYLeague.

Douglas is excited about following in the footsteps of West Ham legend Clyde Best.

"I feel very excited. It's going to be a good experience to see how they play and train. Clyde Best is a role model. He played for West Ham and now me and Amar are going to follow in his footsteps," he said.

Lewis is feeling confident ahead of his trip. He said: "I'm very excited, I went to the West Ham training camp and they invited me to go there and train at their academy. I'm feeling confident but know I need to work on a few things. I'm ready."

Mark Wade, chairman of the player development committee, believes it is important to send the national academy's best young players to professional clubs before they turn 16 years of age.

"We know we need to get our players into professional academies a whole lot sooner than we have done in the past," said Wade.

"A lot of professional clubs come here and their comments are the same. They say we can compete with them until about 14 or 15 but then we lose our competitive edge. It's about getting our players out there earlier. We're looking to develop our relationship with West Ham. It's a good fit for us but there are other clubs as well."