AN OFFICIAL partnership could be created with Guernsey football and Southampton FC if Tom Scott buys the championship club. This week the local businessman purchased £253,000-worth of Southampton shares and with rumours going around that he could be about to sell CI Traders, a move to purchase a majority stakeholding in the Saints could be on the cards.
That in turn could open greater links between the development of the sport in the island and Southampton’s academy.
At present the professional club’s coaches visit Guernsey as part of their football-in-the-community scheme. They come over every school holiday: two or three times during the summer.
They return next week to help run a soccer school at Foote’s Lane. According to Chris Pringle, the Guernsey Football Association’s development officer, links with Southampton and a number of other professional clubs were being explored but he declined to comment further.
‘It’s something that we’ve been working on and we’re a long way down the line,’ he said.
‘We do want the opportunity for our lads to be put in the shop window and to get top coaches over here as well. The football in the community works really well for Guernsey and it keeps the links with Southampton going while we’re looking.
‘We’re looking for stronger links with professional clubs to assist us specifically with player development.’
Pringle is also concerned with getting local coaches up to a similar standard of academy coaches.
He looks to the Paul Ockleford-coached Guernsey under-18s who beat Jersey at the weekend as proof as to why coaches should go for the higher exams.
‘The minimum requirement for a coach in a professional club academy is level three and the vast majority of coaches on the island are level one,’ he said.
‘The ideal for me is to get our coaches up to that. With the under-18s winning on Saturday and with Paul Ockleford taking his level four - it shows there is a link between being highly qualified and getting results.’
Over the years Southampton have benefited from talent produced from the island.
Of course, the most shining example was Matt Le Tissier, who went onto become a Saints legend, scoring 209 goals in 462 appearances.
Fellow Sarnian Lee Luscombe had an apprenticeship with the south coast club at the start of his career and Ollie Smith had trials and a few youth games for them as well.
These all happened without an official link and whereas the GFA is now looking at creating a partnership with a professional club, the Jersey Football Association is one step ahead.
Earlier this year, the JFA’s Centre of Excellence signed an agreement with Southampton that sees their coaches work with Jersey’s juniors.
In turn, they get to cherry pick the best young players.
Guernsey’s sports development manager, Graham Chester, would like to see a similar scheme set up here.
‘There isn’t a formal agreement like the Jersey FA has,’ he said.
‘Ours is community-based but lots of the coaches do coach with the academy.
‘If they do spot anybody, they do act on it.
‘In respect of Tom Scott buying Southampton, from the football community angle it would not make a difference.
‘But I think it would be a good opportunity for them to link up with Southampton on a wider brief than what we’ve got at the moment.’
Article posted on 4th April, 2007 - 12.00am
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