Maceo Dill reckons Bermuda football is headed in the right direction.And he points to the progress made at the National Academy and Bermuda’s impressive run in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as living proof.Yet, while the former North Village youth technical director, coach and player envisions a bright future for the local game, he acknowledges that there’s always room for improvement in the areas of player development, coaching and administration and infrastructure at club level.In an interview with The Royal Gazette, Dill offered some solutions to some of the pitfalls affecting Bermuda football.For starters he reckoned that modern day footballers need to take more responsibility for their personal development and has urged senior players to become better role models especially beyond the football pitch.“Senior players need to set better examples outside the game and recognise the impact they have on the developing youth players,” he said. “Better discipline, training, nutritional and social habits are required to improve the standard of play so that a higher level of entertainment can be provided to the adoring fans and public.”As for coaching, in particular at the grassroot levels, Dill believes that youth coaches must improve their standards to get the best out of their players and place more emphasis on overall development rather than solely on winning.“Coaches at the youth level need to move away from just winning games to total development of players,” he said. “Coaches are attracted to players with skill but fail to consider the social, physiological, physical and emotional state of players.“Coaches need to better understand that they play the most important role in determining whether a player improves and chooses to stay with the game in his teenage years and beyond.“It is also important that coaches have a sound knowledge of the training concepts for each area of physical and physiological development. Bermuda coaching is mainly based on the understanding of the game but lacks the understanding how to develop the player and, as such, much of our coaching is based on instinct and past methods rather than proven and tested methods.”Dill said that club administrators must also hold their end of the bargain if local football is to improve.“Club administrators need further exposure to the professional arena to generate new ideas on how to improve their finances, infrastructure, membership and youth programmes,” he said. “New young energy needs to be allowed to flourish and nourished by the more experienced senior members.“Clubs need to become more ambitious and aggressive in striving for improvements to their grounds and programmes. New marketing strategies designed to influence buy in from the private sector to improve the image of clubs and football are also needed.”Dill said clubs should also take further steps to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in and around their premesis.“A zero tolerance should be taken against social activities that do not enhance the image of the game or clubs,” he added. “With new strategies to raise capital, clubs can move away from their dependence on their bars for capital and focus more on activities that enhance their communities and the game.”