GFC upset by costly midweek games deal
GUERNSEY FC may be altogether happier with their form, but not with the money they are leaking because of wasted travel.
The Green Lions are £15,000 worse off on those grounds this season alone, said Nic Legg, a club director.
‘A postponed fixture against Corinthian Casuals on 31 March cost the club £5,000 as we lost the flights and now have to rebook them for the rearranged fixture,’ explained Legg, while club chairman Mark Le Tissier has been in the ear of top Bostik League officials as GFC considers they have reneged on what was promised in terms of midweek away games.
Over the past five seasons, the club were expecting to have only a handful of midweek home and away fixtures following an agreement with the league organisers, but it has turned out to be many more.
‘In the five years in this league we have had 45 away midweek fixtures. We were only supposed to have 15 in that time,’ said Legg.
‘In that time we have had 17 midweek home games, we were supposed to have 15. I estimate the additional cost to the club over the five seasons has been about £40,000. That’s a lot of money to a club like us.’
Le Tissier says he has already had a conversation with the league chairman and is considering putting something in writing.
‘It’s disappointing that we have six clubs with 3G pitches in our league and we played those away in the months August, September, March and April.
‘All the clubs with pitches that are susceptible to flooding we played in November, December and January.
‘Here we are three weeks of the season left and we still have to play there in midweek away games.’
Travel takes up a significant part of the Guernsey budget with £80,000 a season for away travel alone.
