This Is Guernsey

By Rob Batiste

GUERNSEY Football Association chairman Mark Le Tissier has attacked the Environment Department over the issues which have frustrated Sylvans in their aims to develop their St Peter’s facilities.

But no sooner had Le Tissier (pictured) taken Environment and Culture and Leisure to task it became apparent that Rovers AC have been refused a request to take down banking within the boundaries of their clubhouse car park which would have created additional space.

Le Tissier, pictured right, made the most political comments of his 15-month tenure of the GFA hot seat ahead of presenting Sylvans with their FA Community Award.

‘The States spends hundreds of thousands of pounds employing sports development officers and then when they are successful and sports or sports clubs want to be able to cater for the fruits of their joint labour the States say, ‘‘no, hang on a moment, that’s not quite what we wanted to achieve – you can’t knock that hedge down to assist with your club’s development of young footballers’’.’

Le Tissier questioned the reasoning behind the long delay preventing Sylvans moving ahead with their project to develop a second pitch next to their main one.

‘Is it because football club members such as Sylvans would be doing all the work themselves and not employing contractors to undertake the work and incur a large financial burden and therefore there is no tax revenue stream going back to the States?

‘Or is it because Sylvans knocking down a hedge and creating a well-cared for football pitch that can be used by the youngsters of its community, doesn’t heighten the profile in the business community around the world or the financial industry in Europe or China and therefore doesn’t benefit the only thing the States appear to be genuinely interested in, the finance industry?’ he asked.

Article posted on 4th November, 2009 - 2.30pm