Organising competitive football on an island can be a big challenge. The ultimate example of this is the Isles of Scilly where just two teams play each other week after week whether it is the league or the cup. Even on Guernsey in the Channel Islands where there is a population of 60,000 there are only seven teams in the league.
Organising competitive football on an island can be a big challenge. The ultimate example of this is the Isles of Scilly where just two teams play each other week after week whether it is the league or the cup. Even on Guernsey in the Channel Islands where there is a population of 60,000 there are only seven teams in the league.
One outlet for island teams has been the Island Games. In last week’s football final hosts the Isle of Wight beat Guernsey after extra time (the Greek island of Rhodes has been banned for two tournaments because of the conduct of their players).
Guernsey is used to knockout tournaments. There is the National League System Cup, but the biggest match is the annual Murati match against Jersey which can attract crowds of 2,000. However, now they are going to have to get used to the grind of league competition with the ‘national’ side being admitted to the Combined Counties League Division One. Remember that Guernsey is not part of the UK but is a Crown possession with its own government and legislature.
The side will be picked from all the teams in the Guernsey Senior County League, giving a pool of some 30 players over the season. In part this is because some players will not be available for any particular match, but it also gives them an incentive to raise their game as it is very easy to drift into a comfort zone in island football. The scouting system doesn’t really reach there with the legendary Matt Le Tissier being an exception to the rule.
Guernsey’s participation in the English non-league system has only been made possible through the sponsorship of Sportingbet. Visiting clubs will have a return fight from Gatwick paid for as well as a night’s hotel stay. Let’s hope there aren’t too many problems with sea fog with the opposition left cooling their heels at Gatwick.