This Is Guernsey

JUST how far will you back your kids on the sports field? I’m talking money, not just loud and one-eyed vocal support, daily encouragement and kit resource.

It’s worth asking in a week in which Will Law announced his substantial financial support of son Chris’s motor-racing career had hit the buffers and the lad’s future in the Renault Clio Cup is seriously in doubt.

The Laws have spent massively on helping Chris realise his motorsport dreams. But after an encouraging first season it seems it may all be coming to an abrupt end.

It’s a big worry for the family, but no more so than the concerns of athlete Tom Druce who today competes at the national indoor championships in Sheffield with the back-of-the-mind thought: just what will he do when his three-year sports science course at Bath University ends this summer?

Druce, I’m sure, would love to retrace the ground of his GIAAC and Sportingbet Channel Islands AC teammates, Dale Garland and Lee Merrien, and become a full-time athlete with serious Olympic ambitions.

But is it viable? Is he good enough? What about his long-term future and where is the money to live coming from? These are the questions that will be running through his mind at a time when he is on the verge of stepping up a level as a 400m runner.

He finds himself ranked seven in the UK, but that is likely to drop when all the top one-lap guys come out of winter training for the serious stuff in the spring. He will get better, I’m sure, but will it be enough to throw everything into a short-term career?

Then there’s footballer Kieran Mahon. His year at the Footballcvacademy in Northampton does not come cheap - into five figures - and by all accounts the former North junior has come on in leaps and bounds and, indeed, attracted interest from a number of pro. clubs. But at what stage will his own sporting dreams become no longer financially viable?

Then there is Heather Watson living and playing at the Bollettieri Academy in Florida. That must amount to a tidy sum and all for what?

In her case, the financial carrot dangling in front of her succeeding on the world stage is massive. But as we have seen all so regularly in tennis, being best in Britain does not guarantee you titles and big pay packets on the world stage.

These are just four higher-profile examples, but in their own way it is a question that faces dozens of emerging island sports stars each year when they hit or approach the top of their own capabilities while still in local education.

Is it all worth the money and effort, when there are other adult attractions to consider, such as a university spell or entering full-time employment and enjoying having money to spend?

Dreams can soon turn to nightmares in sport and virtually every set of parents will tell their offspring that education and qualifications are more important than their sport.

Of course, it is easy for mums and dads to say that, because in most cases the dream of sporting glory is not in their heads, it’s in the cranium of their son or daughter.

But it’s worth asking are we, as an island, doing enough to help our best youngsters achieve their dreams?

Guardedly, I would argue no.

The Sports Commission do their very best and a superb job with limited resources and more than ever they are backing the elite as opposed to the masses. Quite right in my book.

More and more island businesses are also doing their bit, with very significant support of some our top sports stars - Fortis/Dale Garland and Cannon/Lee Merrien - two examples I am aware of. But is the government doing enough?

The answer has to be in the negative. They still pay lipservice to sport, often jumping onto the bandwagon of individual glories when the state contribution to that success - indeed combined successes - is so paltry.

While Guernsey can boast terrific sports facilities, much of it stems from the hard work of individuals, clubs and organisations.

But just think what we could achieve for our focused young sports stars with the sort of economic support such as Australia who, I think most would agree, are pretty handy across the sports scene.

Time to compare.

Relatively recent figures show that Australia’s gross domestic product stood at $632, Guernsey’s £1.4b.

Australia’s sport and recreation sector generated approximately $3.2b in revenue which equates to 0.47% of GDP.

At the same time Guernsey’s Culture and Leisure department’s revenue for sport and recreation in 2006 was approximately £2.7m and that includes the running of Beau Sejour Centre. That figure equates to 0.2% of Guernsey’s GDP.

And while Australia’s government funded sport and recreation to the tune of $2.1b (0.33% of their GDP), our States funded it to the extent of £1.1m, under 0.1% of Guernsey’s GDP.

Per capita, Australia’s contribution to sport and recreation is $163, ours £18.

I’m not pretending we are the worst off and I suspect many a eastern European country formerly part of the Soviet bloc, would love to have what we can offer our islanders. But we are behind our obvious rivals, such as the Isle of Man and the funding of Beau Sejour Centre should not ever be included in any figures to do with island sports funding. It is a social amenity that the island needs, regardless of whether it makes money or not.

And what would I do if Guernsey sport received the government backing it deserved?

There would be a fully staffed multi-sports academy based at Foote’s Lane for a start and serious financial and logistical support for those who find themselves on the verge of something special, but need the leg-up of funding beyond their means.

It will not be enough to come to the rescue of budding motor-racing stars like Law, where we are talking silly figures, but it could make all the difference to other deserving candidates aiming to be the next Garland, Matt Le Tissier, Paul Le Tocq, Jason Nicolle, Ian Powell or Lee Savident.