The two biggest inter-island spectator sporting events, the Muratti and Siam Cup, are both taking place on Saturday 16 May this year – the football in Jersey, and a full day of rugby fixtures at Footes Lane before the big match kicks off at 4.15pm.
However, the only viable day return option for Jersey fans is with Islands Unlimited and the morning sailing to Guernsey has already sold out. The last flight back to Jersey on Saturday leaves at 4.45pm. Aurigny said it did not have the capacity to operate extra flights on the day.
Jordan Reynolds, director of rugby at Guernsey Raiders, said the club had been contacted by Jersey residents who had brought tickets before realising travel options were limited.
‘Supporters from Jersey have been in contact as after buying tickets they found they could not really get here,’ he said.
‘It’s disappointing but there is not much we can do this end.’
Kate Innes, fixtures secretary at Jersey RFC, said it had held no conversations with its ferry operator DFDS about extra sailings.
The club booked 130 of Islands Unlimited’s 316 seats on Saturday morning for players, coaches, medics and team management.
She said she was unaware of spectators having to ask for refunds.
Guernsey football fans have far more options, with Aurigny flights, a long day trip with Islands Unlimited, and Brittany Ferries laying on a special sailing of the Voyager ferry for the day.
Aurigny scheduled flights that day would see football fans from Guernsey arrive in Jersey before 8am and able to depart just before 6pm.
The match is due to kick off at 12.30, much earlier than usual.
As Condor Ferries the company always supported the Muratti and a Brittany Ferries spokesman said that when this year’s timetable was put together last June, it always intended to include a day trip for the fixture, arranged in consultation with the Football Associations of both islands.
‘We recognise the importance of inter-island connectivity and the role it plays in supporting key events,’ he said.
‘This includes our scheduling of dedicated sailings for the Muratti as well as earlier this year for the Guernsey Rally, helping the islands come together to enjoy these occasions and renewed sporting rivalry.’
Jersey operator DFDS currently does not have a consistent inter-island service and has made no special plans for 16 May.
It has recently had a proposal to introduce a sailing from Jersey to Guernsey on a Friday, returning on a Monday, rejected by the Guernsey States.
Ian Cuming, chairman of the Jersey Sports Council, said he had written to both governments to register his ‘extreme disappointment’ at this decision.
He said DFDS may have had their ‘fingers burnt’ providing a Muratti service last year, when it was criticised for cancelling two other services to accommodate the sailing.
Mr Cuming, who himself has a tourism background, said the ferry companies needed to see large sporting events as commercial opportunities.
‘More commercialism is needed and earlier conversations with interested bodies,’ he said.
‘These sort of events can attract crowds in their thousands and I personally believe there is money in inter-island travel.
‘We need a schedule that works for both islands.
‘I’m banging the drum for sport but other cultural and tourism opportunities are there too.’
The States of Jersey and Guernsey set a working group at the end of last year to develop and coordinate inter-island ferry travel but there is no evidence that it has been involved at all in arranging sailings for the biggest sporting weekend of the year.
The States of Guernsey said: ‘Through the Ferry Working Group, the operators agreed that that they would be open to supporting the sporting community as best as possible and the sporting organisations have been encouraged to get in contact and work with all operators who serve the islands, to ensure that travel arrangements for sporting events could be put in place and supported.
‘We are aware, that sporting organisations have been working closely with ferry and airline operators to secure seating capacity, in particular on 16 May when both the Siam Cup and the Muratti are due to be played. We recommend that if the sporting associations are still in need of seating capacity, then to speak to all operators, and airlines who we know will do their best to try and accommodate solutions subject to their operations.’
Yet in December, before it invited involvement from Jersey and DFDS, the States said the group had ‘a particular focus on ensuring convenient sailing times for inter-island events supporting the community’s ability to connect’ and would ‘work effectively together in a way that best serves the community needs and supports greater connectivity for residents and visitors’.
It also agreed to ‘focus on aligning services with Guernsey-Jersey events and inter-insulars’.