Time to transform sports travel
MASSIVE congratulations to Guernsey Women’s Hockey for their latest success, progression in the England Hockey Women’s Tier Three Championship. But it’s a sweet victory that comes with the challenge of knowing that it gives the Guernsey Hockey Club a problem – their travel budget has run out.
The cost and availability of travel is an issue that is dogging Guernsey sport, especially team sports, and has done for a good while. The challenge of moving more than a dozen individuals is never easy, and the financial implications, especially for a sport such as rugby, where local competition is virtually non-existent, are very difficult.
Yet the desire to test ourselves against, if not the absolute best, those who could be better than us, is inherent in sport, while inter-island rivalry is a given. But, particularly since Covid, some sports are still struggling to get inter-island competition back on track.
The NatWest Island Games will give local competitors and supporters an amazing opportunity to see excellent levels of competition and islanders performing at their best this summer.
It would be excellent if somehow, a legacy of the Games was the opportunity for more joined-up thinking over sports travel, particularly inter-insulars, enabling an affordable and full day out for sportspeople and spectators going to and from the islands, to everyone’s benefit.