ROVERS’ refusal to play on Boxing Day could lead to the first concession at the top level of island football in living memory.
After having rejected by the GFA their Christmas Eve request to allow the away game against Bels to be postponed and moved to another date, the Port Soif Club gave notice that they would not be arriving at the Track.
Brian Horsepool, Rovers club secretary, said it was not a decision that his club had taken lightly.
‘But the view is that everybody [in the club] spends so much time on football for the rest of the year that Christmas and Boxing Day are family days.
‘I can’t force players and coaches to turn up.’
Rovers’ withdrawal is most likely to lead to a £25 fine and the awarding of a 3-0 defeat, but GFA chairman Mark Le Tissier took a dim view of the move and said that expulsion from the league was among the options open to the GFA board when they meet early in January to discuss the matter.
Horsepool said that their actions were regrettable but with ‘injuries, holidays and family commitments we haven’t got a team to put out.’
Ironically, had Rovers waited the weather may have helped them out, because the return of heavy downpours caused two other Division One games to be postponed on Boxing Day morning.
Meanwhile, North’s Christmas got worse when they learned that Craig Young, another of their island players, had put in for a transfer.
Young wants to move to Bels, while team-mates Glyn Dyer and Kieran Mahon are seeking a switch to St Martin’s.
North are likely to object to all three requests.
Article posted on 28th December, 2009 - 2.30pm
7 Article Comments
well the GFA should get a grip on reality, family first
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If Rovers get expelled from the league for refusing to play Boxing Day I’ll eat my hat – sounds like a load of hot air from Mr Le Tissier. I recall when Middlesbrough refused to play a match in the (slightly more high profile than the GFA) Premier League due to injuries – they were simply docked points.
I commented in a previous thread that those involved with GFA football know what they’re getting themselves in for in terms of commitment when they signed up – so this episode shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
Nevertheless I agree with Serge that this is “a bridge too far” even for the GFA. If the players/coaches don’t like the attitude of the GFA it’s about time they stood up to them – and fair play to Rovers for having the courage of their conviction. For a team with no hope of winning the league it’s worth docked points and a “massive” £25 fine if you ask me.
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If the GFA and I also believe this also is hot air decide to expel Rovers then lets hope the other clubs get behind them. Le Tiss…keep your mouth shut…your part of a committee and your not Seth blatter. This is amateur football that needs all clubs and whilst you may not think Christmas is important…others do and congratulations to Rovers for standing up.
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If Rovers were so dead against playing on Boxing day why did they not side with Rec at the start of the season?
Strange that the only club(apparently) who wrote to the GFA as not keen on playing on Boxing day, at the start of the season, were one of only two clubs to actually play on the day…
Rovers are a tad late in taking to the moral high ground in this instance.
Yes I did go along to watch Rec v’s Rangers, no I’m not a Rec or Rangers fan, yes my children came as well, yes we all did go to church in the morning. Did I miss out on my family Christmas? NO!!!
Was the Rovers club house bar open that Sunday?
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Ken Nicolle says “Did I miss out on my family Christmas? NO!!!”
You might not have missed out on your family Christmas by watching a game however all you needed to do was turn up, watch the game and go home again.
The players and staff on the other hand would have been tied up for a greater length of time, opening the ground, warming up, cooling off afterwards, closing the ground etc.
In addition, last time I checked playing/refereeing a match was harder work than watching it (unless you’re a Liverpool fan that is!) and the players would have needed to be in shape for the game – meaning that a hearty Christmas Lunch with a few glasses of sherry was out of the question.
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This game did not need to be played on Boxing Day. Two other games didn’t go ahead due to the weather and I am sure that they will find time to play them before the end of the season.
The GFA has the right to schedule fixtures for whenever they like, BUT the players and coaches have the right to make themselves unavailable.
I’m sure that players do “know what they’re getting themselves in for in terms of commitment when they sign up”, as they train twice a week and play 25 – 30 matches during the season.
This is assuming that an individual is only involved in one team. Many of the coaches take more than one team and therefore commit to 50+ games each season as well as training sessions.
Players also attend additional training sessions and matches if they are involved with any of the Island teams – all adding to the “commitment” of the individual.
This is not a question about commitment of the individuals involved, as the amount of time and effort put in over the course of many seasons proves this.
It comes down to the fact that the Rovers players and coaches felt that it was more important to spend time with their families on boxing day, rather than to play a football match.
The rules state that any fixture which is not fulfilled will result in a £25 fine and the game beiong awarded to the opposition 3-0.
To issue any other punishment is suggesting that the GFA make the rules up as they go along.
One final point – I read that the GFA are still trying to encourage the social leagues back under the GFA banner. Threatening to expel teams which refuse to play on Boxing Day will make this an attractive proposal to these teams. No?
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Don’t get me wrong, the sacrifice for playing on boxing day is probably out of proportion to the reward of playing.
I just don’t get the fact that only Rec objected to the fixture in September and then suddenly Rovers get all high and mighty about it a week before the game.
To be honest the game at Rec was poor, played on a poor pitch, cold and wet with some stuffing dog running around the pitch for half the game.
It would seem unlikely that either team put in a season best performance…
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