Grass roots football destroyed by greed
CONGRATULATIONS and well done to the Ormer Ladies FC football team on winning the first ever Channel Islands Women’s League. Also (although it hurts to say) thank you to Jersey for allowing the Ormer Ladies to enter a newly-formed league so they could play competitive football, which all came about because our senior ladies have no football league to play in on this island. Thank you to the GFA, who destroyed the once large Ladies Football League that was so successful when the ladies ran it themselves.
The GFA are celebrating 125 years of football and over those years we have seen some great players and clubs grace the football pitches on the island, as reported in the articles run about the clubs and players in recent weeks.
What people fail to realise, or do not care about, is the fact the GFA have destroyed all social league football on the island. There is too much brushed under the table in respect of the way the GFA have treated Ormer FC youngsters and destroyed the Ladies Football League, the Sunday Soccer League and the Saturday Football League.
As for the Sunday and Saturday (men’s) leagues – the players and individuals involved helped the GFA destroy them because no one wants to do any organising work to run them any more. They would rather pay a fortune to the GFA so they can just turn up and play. This is all down to the fact the youngsters today get so much more money than in my time.
The ladies cannot play in a Muratti because the GFA will not sanction it as there is no ladies football league on the island. Well whose fault is that?
We know there is no league. It was them who destroyed it. These dedicated ladies turned to Ormer FC for help and look where they are and what they have achieved.
We know the GFA are doing a good job in the way they are developing football for girls in schools or whatever, but that is not helping the generation who want to play now. Developing a team to play in the 2021 Island Games is not what it is all about. Surely we have a team that can play in the games right now.
The problem seems to be simple – at the end of the day it’s all about money.
Whether people like it or not (and I know which quarters will not like it) the bare truth is progress has gone backwards in respect of local football. Look at our parks. There are no goalposts or games at real grass roots level any more. Once sites like Delancey Park, Cambridge Park, Beau Sejour, Victoria Avenue, La Mare de Carteret, Les Brehauts (St Peter’s) and a couple of local club pitches (like the Saints and Rovers) the social leagues used to hire were a hive of activity on Saturday and Sunday mornings and afternoons. Now they lay dormant.
All destroyed for the sake of money and dictatorship.
If you do not believe it, ask any of the ladies who just want to play football or anyone associated with Ormer FC.
ROD HAMON,
5, Rosemount, Mont Arrive,
St Peter Port, GY1 2AF.
Editor’s footnote: the GFA declined to comment.