This Is Guernsey

By Rob Batiste

FORMER Guernsey Football Association secretary and potential Vale people’s deputy candidate Matt Fallaize has questioned Education’s position on the funding of sports facilities at St Sampson’s High. Fallaize, who sat in on several meetings between the GFA, Football Association representatives and Education in 2003, said that in view of the zero-10 situation it was a shame a deal could not be struck to help fund the synthetic pitches at the new secondary school.

‘The States should welcome partnership with sports and charities more than it does.’

He recalls the meetings and believes the FA would have dug deep to help out.

‘The view of the FA was this was the sort of project that they would to get involved in.

‘I thought there was room for Education and the GFA to make a joint application [to the football foundation].

‘It could, potentially, have meant a grant of several hundred thousand pounds that would have saved the taxpayer.’

Fallaize says that Education soon got cold feet on the idea of FA involvement.

‘It was quite clear that they weren’t enthusiastic because of the demands football would want on the facility.

‘To my mind that was the stumbling block.’

He also recalls real concerns from Education with relation to floodlighting.