Inter-island matches costing sports clubs up to £10k

Sport representatives in the Channel Islands say inter-island fixtures are under threat due to the cost and infrequency of travel between the islands.

A proposed summer ferry service between Jersey and Guernsey was withdrawn by the operator after being rejected by Guernsey's Committee for Economic Development.

Jersey's football team has been quoted a cost of £10,000 to play the Muratti semi-final in Alderney next March.

Guernsey Football Association chief executive Gary Roberts said: "For all these grassroots clubs and sports, those are significant costs, so anything the governments can do to help with timetables and costs and support for sport would be greatly appreciated."

The lack of frequent scheduled services between the most southerly and northerly of the islands means Jersey must go to Alderney via Guernsey, adding cost and time.

"Because of the way that the flights don't connect with each other, we'd actually have to be away for two nights for one 90-minute game of football," Jersey Football Association chief executive Tim Pryor said.

"So that's just one example of the sort of costs we're talking about."

Jersey and Guernsey football sides face one another in two inter-island cups - the Jersey-organised Wheway Cup and Guernsey's Jeremie Cup - which Roberts said would cost "upwards of £3,000 for a single match".

Jersey's football team has had to pull out of its annual Under 21 game against Guernsey following the end of a sponsorship arrangement.

Jersey's former England netball captain Serena Kersten was elected to the island's government earlier this year.

She has responsibility for sport in her brief as assistant minister in the Infrastructure, Education and Economic Development department.

"I felt the pains of this as well from a Jersey netball perspective so I share the frustration," she said

DFDS took over Jersey's ferry service last year but does not provide a route to Guernsey.

Asked if she would like to see an inter-island link between the islands from DFDS, she said: "I think we all would love that but there are obviously consequences and unintended consequences to all of these decisions.

"I know it's not been looked into this quarter, but I think it is something that we all know it needs to be looked into, but timing is important and making sure that we're having the right conversations first before we make any decisions is really, really important."

Economic Development minister deputy Gerald Voisin said in a written question there are no planned revisions to the concession agreement but it is kept under review regularly .

Kersten said she was hoping for positive solutions: "We can't go on with this for four years and I'm very well aware of that."

DFDS, Aurigny and Islands Unlimited have been contacted for a comment.

Brittany Ferries, which runs Guernsey's ferries, said it has complied with the terms of its contract signed last April and recognised the important of inter-island connectivity for sport.

Guernsey's Committee for Economic Development confirmed it met its Jersey counterparts earlier this week and the groups expressed their continued commitment to inter-island connectivity.