HAMILTON, Bermuda, Former Bermuda national team coach Andrew Bascome says he is looking forward to finally getting the Bascome FC franchise up and running after being stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.
After being launched at the beginning of 2020, the team was accepted into the United Soccer League Two, a development league for Major League Soccer, and was due to compete in the seven-team Mid-Atlantic Division.
But, due to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, which killed more than 150 people in Bermuda, Bascome was forced to withdraw from the league and defer participation.
Now a little more than two years later, Bascome FC look set for their first competitive action, although not in USL League Two as initially planned.
Instead, three youth teams will take part in the prestigious USL Academy Cup, which kicks off in Florida in March.
“It’s great and fascinating that something looks to be getting up and running again,” Bascome, 59, the franchise’s director of football and head coach, told the Royal Gazette newspaper.
“We’ve been accepted into the USL Youth Academy Cup so we will take three teams aged Under-13 under 15 and Under-19.
“There is a possibility that we will be taking a contingent of around 60 youngsters at the same time over to Florida, which is amazing.”
Despite having to shelve plans to compete in USL League Two, Bascome is hopeful the existing program will lay the foundations to fulfill that ambition.
“We had some big plans originally with the USL League Two, but now we are aiming to focus on going through the youth teams avenue first, and then as they grow and develop, we know exactly what we have, and players have that experience,” he added.
“From there, we will look at the possibilities of the USL League Two again and hopefully be able to create a team from the players that have come through the youth teams.
“We’re looking first to establish the academy teams, and then we’ll look at the senior squad because hopefully a lot of the Under-19 players can gain that experience and then look to progress into the senior team.
“Getting accepted into the USL Academy Cup is a fantastic opportunity, so that is my focus, getting ready for that.”
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