Allen stands up for clubs

HAROLD ALLEN has produced proposals for a revolutionary shake-up of football's fixture programme. The Rangers chairman and former island coach believes that the fixture list has become top heavy with representative games.

He has suggested that club football should return to having an 'equal status with the senior island team'.

'The clubs should not be taken for granted. The GFA must recognise that there has to be an equal partnership between the needs of the Priaulx League clubs and the senior island team,' said Allen.

'At the present time, priority status has been given, not only to the senior island team but the under-21 and junior island teams, which has devalued and perhaps made the Priaulx League into a second division with a haphazard fixture list in order to accommodate the island teams.'

Allen points out that in seven months between September 2002 and April 2003, 40 island training sessions and at least 20 matches were scheduled.

There are island games on nine out of the first 13 weekends of 2003 and the club fixture programme has been shredded to make way for those matches.

'The development of island coaching and training has gone a step too far and is interfering almost weekly with the needs of the clubs and their coaches.

'The needs of the clubs, who develop and nurture players from an early age, are secondary to the needs of the island teams.

'It can be seen that the priority that has been given to island football is directly affecting club coaches' training programmes as Vale Rec. coach Ray Blondel has highlighted.

'There is the danger that coaches who are there for players week in and week out in all weathers will say enough is enough and walk away from coaching, or possibly withdraw their players from island squads.'

Allen said that the Harvey Report, most of which is due to be introduced for the start of next season, would worsen the conflict between island and club football - unless his proposals were adopted in conjunction with the Harvey Report this summer.

Allen's suggestions include slashing the number of island matches and training sessions, playing Priaulx League and Railway League games on Saturdays only, Jackson League fixtures on Sundays and Youth One and Two matches under floodlights or on Sundays.

He has also proposed a restructuring of senior cup competitions, including turning the Le Vallee and Rawlinson Cups into pre-season tournaments, reducing the number of Jersey clubs in the Jeremie Cup and playing the Collins Cup in midweek.

Several club coaches have bemoaned the scheduling of the under-21 Muratti in February and Allen wants to see it moved to the end of the season.

The ex-Rangers coach, who led the club to its last Priaulx League championship in 1979-80, is a long-time critic of the GFA executive. He accused them last season of being 'dictatorial' and 'driving good people out of football'.

But, in his latest proposals, he has outlined his approval of much of the good work achieved by the association over the past decade.

'There is much to congratulate council for on the way island football is developing.

'The Football Association and private sponsorship has meant that council has been able to afford to increase the amount of football the island teams play and I support the involvement and experience young players are getting from taking part in the South-West Counties Champion-ship games.'

GFA chief executive Dave Dorey, who vowed recently to produce his own fixture blueprint early this year, said: 'I read Harold's proposals with interest and there is much to commend them.

'It is always encouraging to read any proposals which seek to take Guernsey football forward.'

At Thursday night's council meeting, delegates were asked to take Allen's proposals back to their clubs for discussion. The Allen Report will be on the agenda for the next council meeting.