Over time, that simple idea evolved into something much bigger. Today, Desert Rats isn’t really a traditional club. Bernardo describes it as an international program that gives players opportunities they might never have otherwise.
Some come because their hometown doesn’t have enough players to field a team. Others arrive through friendships made at tournaments around the world.
Over the years, Desert Rats has welcomed players from roughly 30 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa and throughout Europe.
“As much as it would be nice to be a British program because that’s where we originated, there’s something special about learning other cultures as well,” Bernardo said.
Those friendships don’t end when the tournament does.
This year, an Australian player will travel to California on her own after meeting several Desert Rats players at the World Championships. They stayed in touch, and when she wanted to compete at NARCh but didn’t have a team, the invitation was waiting.
“She’s just another member of the extended family now,” Bernardo said.
That sense of family has become the foundation of everything Bernardo does.
Now 43, he has spent three decades in inline hockey. He runs a junior league in England’s Midlands, organizes international tours and will bring 14 teams to NARCh this summer.
It is an enormous undertaking that begins months before anyone boards a plane.
Bernardo helps families navigate travel logistics, finds teams for players who need one, looks for special experiences away from the rink and, when necessary, rebuilds rosters almost overnight.
Last year, just two weeks before NARCh, he lost an entire Under-21 team. The inline hockey community helped replace every player.
“All of a sudden I had 12 kids ready to lace up,” he said.
Moments like that remind him why he continues.
“The sport gave me so much,” Bernardo said. “I could have been that kid that got into trouble, but hockey kept me grounded.”