Demise of team sports has lost the States a huge amount of revenue

OUR deputies should take a good look at themselves and check back in history at how they have let so many avenues of income vanish. Our island has lost hundreds of thousands of pounds a year due to the demise of organised team sports. Beau Sejour has become a cafe, bar and gym, with a pittance of sporting activity happening in the building, compared to years ago. The focus on education is the only thing our government has been interested in for years and let a thriving community down by turning a blind eye to the massive amount of revenue sport brought in and the well-being of people they repeatedly drum into us. Beau Sejour had a massive five-a-side football league with, at one-time, no less than seven divisions. Also, an eight-a-side football league that once had two divisions. An over-35 football league and a ladies’ football league that also at one time had two divisions, an indoor cricket league and a roller hockey league along with roller skating for fun. Indoor bowls, a dungeon where disco music was played, an arcade of games tables, and the place was buzzing. Back in the day we even paid a 50p entry fee for the pleasure and willingly accepted it. All this has gone and no one in authority even bothers to ask why. Then there was a thriving Sunday League Football League that once had two divisions of 12 teams (with three more waiting to enter) and a Business League that eventually changed its name to the Saturday Football League that had two divisions – one with 10 teams and one with nine. Today the outdoor pitches (Beau Sejour – pitches one and two, Delancey Park, and Victoria Avenue – that the States sold out to the GFA) would have had eight games a weekend on them and at today’s prices would have brought in at least one thousand pounds a weekend. The destruction of sport alone has cost the States a massive amount of revenue. I would suggest the people who have driven this island into the ground through their total ignorance and tunnel vision should look at taking a cut in their money towards trying to balance the books instead of punishing the people who they never listen to anyway to counter their inability to govern.