Shantel DeShield hopes today’s Bermuda Schools Sports Federation Knockout finals are the start of greater exposure for youth sport on the Island.

The coach of the Berkeley Institute senior girls side is looking forward to an occasion that promises to have an electric atmosphere at the National Stadium.

Both the girls and boys finals will be shown on Digicel SportsMax, and with parents, teachers, and pupils from Berkeley and CedarBridge Academy, their opponents, in attendance, DeShield said that was a sense of nervous excitement in the air.

“I’m excited for them [the players],” DeShield said. “We never had opportunities like this when I was coming up.

“I feel school sports in Bermuda deserves this kind of atmosphere on a regular basis.

“At times I think that, as athletes, they don’t get the sort of support that they should. This is a good start towards a positive future for athletics in Bermuda.”

On the back of a successful season, during which Berkeley went undefeated and beat CedarBridge 3-1, DeShield said her side were looking forward to showing “the quality that we have.”

“The team are very eager, it’s always fun to play CedarBridge,” she said.

“We’re definitely looking forward to it, especially as it’s up the carpet, you know. There’s is a heightened level of intensity, excitement, a desire to do our best.

“It [playing at National Stadium] hasn’t happened before. I would say they are kind of nervous, but it’s more excitement, they want to perform at their best.”

As well playing for a trophy, school pride, and bragging rights, DeShield has made sure her players are aware of the opportunities that may arise out of a game that will be watched across the Caribbean.

Fresh TV will film both matches, with SportsMax then televising them in the not too distant future. As DeSheild points out, a scout might see a player in person once, a good performance on film is around for ever.

“I’ve talked a lot to them too about the opportunities that may come out of this,” she said.

“As much as sometimes scouts come to Bermuda, if someone else hears about it they can watch it on replay, on the internet, then maybe somebody else who didn’t know about it gets to see it.”

The girls final kicks off at 11am, and the boys final starts at 1pm.