DAVE NUSSBAUMER has called on the island’s premier football clubs to embrace change to take the sport forward. The Guernsey Football Association president has been speaking at a number of end-of-season club dinners and his message has been the same - football needs to move forward.
With his new executive committee that came into force after the shake-up following the ‘Dave Dorey affair’ two years ago, Nussbaumer is keen to bring in some new initiatives.
These include replacing the Jackson league with an under-21 league and encouraging clubs to employ semi-professional footballers. The purpose of the ideas is to kick-start a sport that has arguably been in the doldrums over the last few years.
‘It’s not all doom and gloom but I think football is at a crossroads,’ said Nussbaumer.
‘This was evident at the last two Murattis. The standards are dropping and it’s not the players fault.
‘But when you look round the clubs you don’t see the Trim Morgans.’
Nussbaumer believes that the presence of good, young, semi-professionals in the Priaulx League would be a major boost. He looked to the arrangement that his cricket club, Cobo, has with Jeremy Frith who flies over from the UK to play at the weekends, which is funded by the club.
‘I just think as we’ve benefited with Frithy and has the rugby club [with overseas players], so could the football clubs,’ he said.
‘With three semi-professionals at different clubs, other players would benefit immensely. I’ve got a lot of time for Mac Gallienne at Rangers and if he had one of those players they might have been challenging for the Priaulx instead of where they ended up.
‘He’s a good coach and he’s got a lot of good young players when they are available. If he had someone like that - where would have they ended up?’
Another idea that Nussbaumer is keen to see come to life is an under-21 league to replace the Jackson. Each team would be allowed to have three over-age players.
‘It’s a very good idea that needs further discussions with them [the clubs],’ he said.
Article posted on 19th May, 2007 - 12.00am
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