GFLM had to dig deep to fund KGV 3G use
GUERNSEY Football League Management is understood to have splashed out thousands of pounds of its own funds to keep the now finally completed football season on track.
But, as GFLM chairman Nick Graham has revealed, such generosity cannot be maintained going forward.
The GFLM funding was entirely for the hiring of the King George V field 3G which took some of the strain off the fixture list during the wettest period.
Previously, GFA senior clubs had been happy to utilise the all-weather pitch as long as they were not picking up the tab.
But in summing up the domestic season, Graham has revealed how close the organising body was to failing to finish the fixtures and but for a gamble by GFLM it might not have achieved that in a campaign which saw a remarkable 400-plus postponements.
‘As the weather deteriorated the committee, with Chris Lihou [fixture coordinator], had to make a decision to get games on.
‘So we incurred costs and covered those costs of getting fixtures onto the KGV and had we not done that, leagues would not have got finished this season.
‘It was a gamble which paid off, but we can’t sustain that going forward and next season we hope the clubs will work with us more.’
But the KGV 3G is not the only ground GFLM is aiming to use to negate the seemingly growing problem of wetter winters and pitches deemed unfit for use.
A return to using Delancey and Cambridge parks is being looked into, Graham says.
‘It seems daft that when we have got limited resources and some of those fields this past season were clearly being overplayed, plus there were more fixtures and drainage hasn’t been good enough, that we don’t use other grounds.
‘If you put Delancey and Cambridge Park in for minor league use, maybe I think we should be doing that.’
As ever, though, senior clubs are naturally sensitive to their own costs and doubts remains whether they will be willing to pay more than they already do.
Indeed, following last week’s GFLM AGM, the organising body was asked to liaise with the Guernsey Football Association with regard to additional costs to run the game.
