GUERNSEY women’s football needs to be taken more seriously at all levels, warns island coach Ian Champion. ‘I don’t know where the next youngsters are going to come from and, as a coach, it’s frustrating and worrying,’ he said.
He says that women need to play football every week to progress and fears the gap when girls cannot play the game between minis and the step up to senior football is causing problems.
‘Who wants to train and not play?’ he asked.
He finds it strange girls play minis football, then there is nothing to keep them interested before they are old enough for the seniors.
‘We lose loads to other sports but it’s worse in women’s football because they don’t even play between certain ages and that can’t be good for the ladies’ game.’
But the problems are not restricted there.
‘My job is becoming increasingly difficult because there are lots of issues in women’s football,’ he said.
He cited recent examples of having no referee for a game and a club being unable to field a side as hampering him.
‘You only learn from watching them play and how they react in women’s football,’ he said.
He is concerned that in the club game there are three teams much stronger than the others and generally not a wide enough distribution of players.
‘Some of the weaker sides are struggling for different reasons,’ he said.
‘It does not make my job any easier.’
‘I’m sure everyone in Guernsey wants the ladies’ team to do well, but it will only do so if they are playing regularly,’ he said.
‘The loss of the Rangers team last year was a disaster.
‘Clubs need to take their women’s football more seriously or it will be to the detriment of Guernsey football,’ he warned.
‘If you have not got a youth set-up you will fall apart eventually.
‘At county level you have to be able to perform and have a good grounding underneath to play at that level.
‘I have probably got only 18 to 20 players capable of playing county football. Other counties have 100,000 to choose from getting regular week-in-week-out football,’ he said.
‘It’s a farce.’
Guernsey opened their South and West Counties League campaign with a goalless draw at Blanche Pierre Lane against Gloucestershire in October.
The match marked the return of Rochelle Vaudin after she had spent a brief spell with professional women’s side Bristol Academy.
She is in the squad for the tough encounter against a strong Army side at the Track on Wednesday night.
Players who were unavailable against Gloucestershire but who have all played for Guernsey before will join her in the squad, including Eleanor Holden, Eleisha Gettings, Anna Robert, Katie Watson and Cathy Hennessey.
‘There is no new blood, but more use of the youngsters,’ said Champion.
‘When we get the squad together, as we proved against Gloucestershire, we can compete. They have the ability, the bottle and the awareness to compete. I think it’s amazing the standard we play at when we play at county level.
‘The Army are probably the best team in this league. They are unbeaten in ages, but we will compete well against them,’ he promised.
‘I’m hoping to improve on the performance against Gloucestershire when the girls set such a high benchmark. I would like to take it a step further and this will be one helluva challenge,’ said Champion.
Guernsey have two South and West Counties games left - against Cornwall and the RAF - before the Muratti clash with Jersey.
‘I don’t think people realise what we are up against in each game and Guernsey [women’s] football needs to be taken more seriously at all levels.’
But Champion admits he does not have all the answers.
‘Women’s football needs help with development and the spread of players.
‘I get fantastic support from Mark Le Tissier and Neil Laine [at the GFA] and without them it would be impossible. Everything is in place administration wise and it’s first class,’ he stressed.
He insists there is a lot of money and effort going into the South and West Counties games.
‘We have a cracking sponsorship deal with Northern Trust but you feel a responsibility to pay that back,’ he said.
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