This Is Guernsey

By Aaron Scoones

THE Arctic island of Greenland has confirmed that they will be sending a football team to Rhodes next year. That has come to light as the ongoing saga grips Guernsey football as to whether the men’s side will play in next July’s NatWest Island Games because of worries over 30C-plus temperatures.

More than 80% of Greenland is covered in ice and the average temperature during the summer months, when their football is played, is 6C.

‘We are going,’ said Jens Brinch, the secretary general of the Sports Confederation of Greenland.

‘We’re going one week before the Games starts. We are concerned about the heat but I think if we go one week before, then they can handle that.’

The member islands of the Games do not have to submit their squads for all the sports until December.

But a number of other islands that played alongside Greenland in last year’s Shetland Island Games have said that they will not be going to Rhodes.

Last week Shetland and their neighbours, Orkney, said they were both nearly 100% certain of not travelling to the Mediterranean island on the grounds of cost and the amount of time away.

The Isle of Man men have confirmed that they are a definite no go.

After their league representative side won the FA National League System Cup earlier this year, they now face the best European amateur leagues in April.

‘We decided we’re just going to send a ladies’ team,’ said Ann Garrett, secretary of the Isle of Man FA.

‘The men’s team are representing England in the Czech Republic at the end of April. There was no way we could make a commitment outside that.’

From the 10 teams that featured in Shetland, these seem to be the only ones who are not going to Rhodes.

Reports coming out of Aland and the Western Isles suggest that they will be going.

Ynys Mon are also keen, but costs could force them out.

‘In principle, we’re going,’ said their manager, Osh Roberts.

From back page

‘It’s a cost issue but our committee are looking at it. With the quote we’ve got at the moment, we wouldn’t go but it all depends on what the committee can come up with.

‘We’re not concerned with the heat: we can deal with that here.

‘We can’t create the same heat and humidity but we can make sure we’re best prepared for it.’

Although Jersey did not go to Shetland, they have committed themselves to Rhodes and so have Gibraltar, depending on their proposed Uefa membership. They are up in front of Uefa’s Congress in January.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport have supported their cause and if they are allowed to join, they would have to get permission from Uefa to take part in the Rhodes tournament.

The Gibraltar FA president, Joey Nunez, stated that they wanted to go.

‘The intention is to do so but that depends on the application into Uefa,’ he said.

Uefa membership is something that both Guernsey and Jersey are looking at following Gibraltar’s success at the CAS, but Nunez thinks it will not be possible for the Channel Islands.

‘I doubt if they can now - they are too late,’ he said.

Article posted on 28th September, 2006 - 12.00am