Former players Clyde “Tango” Burgess, Larry Smith, Nicole Jones, Pamela “Bootsie” Pace and Marcus Douglas have been announced as the five BFA Legends for the 2022 Legends Scholarship programme.

Burgess was a top goalkeeper whose career began at the young age of twelve at West End School. He then joined Sandys Secondary School’s B Team and later became the goalkeeper for the Somerset Colts second team in 1960.

Burgess’ first senior football came at the age of 17 with West End Rovers. In 1966, Burgess joined Somerset Cricket Club and in 1967 won the Triple Crown with them. That same year, he won his first international cap for Bermuda against the United States.

Burgess continues to enjoy the sport today and is an avid West Ham fan.

Larry Smith has had a successful football career as both as a player and a coach. Smith played and coached Devonshire Colts for 15 years until a leg break in May of 1976 in a friendly international match between Bermuda and Burnley FC ended his career.

Smith also coached the North Village Community Club to the Triple Crown in the 1977-78 season and also coached Somerset Cricket Club to the league and Martonmere Cup double in 1986-87.

Smith coached at Greater Osceola United FC in Orlando Fl, from 2006-2012 and successfully led the Osceola U-17s to a championship final.

He was a part of the coaching staff in the Bermuda Under-14s team in the 1970s and is currently vice president of the Bermuda Football Coaches Association and also Coaching Director of Football at Somerset.

Nicole Jones started her football career at Young Men’s Social Club (YMSC) at the age of twelve and moved to BAA at 14. She played in the Women’s League for Telecom in 1988 when she won the first league’s MVP award.

Jones then played for the Bermuda Police team and went on to win the FA Cup.

From 1997 to 1999, she played at St Thomas University in Miami Florida. During that time, she won Defensive Player of the Year three years straight.

Jones also won the Coaches Player Award and was the captain of the Bermuda team in 2000. From 2000 to 2003 Jones played semi-professional football for Miami Gliders and then Tampa Bay Extreme.

From an early age, Pamela “Bootsie” Pace was drawn towards sports and would go around the neighbourhood carrying a football. She was occasionally asked to suit up for the St David’s Pee Wee team when she was only eight.

While at Whitney Institute she was the only girl who would play football with the boys. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity for Pace to play in high school.

She joined the Boys Junior League on the US Naval Base and participated in seven-a-side matches at the Youth Centre. “Bootsie” was considered a pioneer in the Eastern Soccer League when she – as a 13-year-old female – debuted for HHC’s all-male junior soccer team.

During the early 1980s, staff at local hotels had put together all-female soccer teams and would host Thursday night games at the BAA field under the lights. “Bootsie” was recruited to play for Holiday Inn Hotel.

After a short time, those hotel staff games faded out, and “Bootsie” was invited to play for HHC’s senior team. Once the Women’s League in Bermuda started again, Bootsie, and her sister Damita (Pace) Evans, as the goalkeeper, played for Herbie’s Angels, a team named after its coach Herbie Bascome that came from St David’s.

In the team’s first Friday night outing against Cedar Park, “Bootsie” netted five goals in a 6-1 victory. She is very honoured to have been a trailblazer as she lives with life-altering injuries due to a hit-and-run accident.

Marcus Douglas’s football career started at Howard Academy in high school. He first played league football in the early 1960s as a junior and then in senior football for Hamilton Parish Workman’s Club in the First Division.

Douglas was asked to join Devonshire Colts in 1967 and replied that he would once they gained promotion. Colts were promoted and Douglas joined the side and played in his favourite position of centre half for them, after being a striker with Hamilton Parish.

Douglas moved to Delaware, USA and would play for Delaware Wings for two seasons in the early 70s. He later returned to Delaware to coach for three seasons.

Douglas played international football for Bermuda and was part of the famous team that won a Silver medal of the Pan Am Games in 1967. Before he retired in 1983, Douglas coached both HPWC then Devonshire Colts, each for two seasons.

The BFA will be accepting Legends Scholarship applications until the application window closes on June 30. All applications must be emailed to bfa@bermudafootball.com.

For more information on the 2022 Legends and application documents visit bermudafa.com/legends