The Clyde Best Invitational Tournament is set to make a return — although the man it is named after knows nothing about it.

The Bermuda Football Association put aside April 4 and 5 for the tournament when a revised schedule for the remainder of the season was released last week.

But Best, the former West Ham United striker, was caught by surprise when contacted by The Royal Gazette, admitting: “I know nothing about it, nobody has contacted me.”

Mark Wade, the BFA player development committee chairman, did not return a call seeking comment on the planned return of the youth tournament, which involves teams from overseas.

It was held between 2006 and 2010 before being scrapped by the BFA the following year because of funding problems, much to Best’s disappointment who felt the tournament played an important role in developing the Island’s young players.

“It’s important for them to get experience playing against overseas opposition,” Best said in 2011. “I think it’s been a very successful tournament over the years and we have to find a way to continue it.”

Best’s comments came a year after the tournament hosted the West Ham Academy side and Saint-Étienne’s youth team.

In that same year the BFA National Academy forged links with West Ham, in a development agreement that would give the Barclays Premier League side the first pick of the National Academy’s best youngsters.

In the previous year, 2009, a team from French Second Division side Sochaux and MLS side Colorado Rapids took part in the tournament along with two Bermuda youth teams.

“It is fantastic from the point that our children can play against top-notch academies and hopefully they can learn from it,” added Best in 2011.

“You are not going to get a better academy in the world than West Ham and Saint-Étienne has a great pedigree as well.”

Best’s unawareness of the tournament’s return comes at a time when the finishing touches are being put to the Clyde Best Centre of Excellence at the BFA Field in Prospect.

The $1.3?million facility will feature meeting space on the upper level and changing rooms, referee room, public bathrooms, training and treatment rooms as well as storage on the lower field level.

Last November a stretch of Broome Street outside Somerset Cricket Club was officially renamed Clyde Best Lane in honour of the trailblazing player.

The two-day tournament has been included in the BFA’s revised schedule for the Saturday and Sunday, with Sunday’s games at noon and 2pm finishing in time at the National Sports Centre to allow supporters to watch the final round of Premier Division matches, which have been scheduled at 4pm.

The final round of matches had been scheduled for March 15, but that was changed to allow for Bermuda’s two World Cup qualifying first-round matches against Bahamas and a training camp in Florida next month.

The First Division’s final round of matches, originally scheduled for March 29, have been brought forward a week because Bermuda will meet Bahamas in the second-leg at home on that date.