CLUBS in the island say they are going to struggle with a new FA rule restricting the number of matches under-18s can play in a season. At Thursday night’s Guernsey Football Association annual meeting, legislation was passed to ensure that players under the age of 18 as at 31 August of a season cannot take part in more than 40 games in that season.

‘Our club is definitely going to struggle with this,’ said North’s president Dave Finn.

‘Our Youth One players play about 29 Youth One games and it’s our club policy to play them in the Jackson as well. It’s going to be a very difficult season and I see us having to forfeit games in the Jackson.

‘I think most clubs will struggle.’

St Martin’s are one of those.

At the AGM, their president Henry Davey proposed that in the Youth One, teams play each other only twice and not the three times that they are currently doing.

This would mean Youth One players would play 12 league matches in a season.

‘That’s going to be discussed by the directors [of the GFA],’ said Davey afterwards.

Bels vice-president Andy Robert was also not happy with the change but was resigned to the fact that it was an English FA rule that had to be applied.

‘We’ve got to go with it,’ he said.

‘We’re more disappointed that they have re-introduced registrations for Priaulx but we’ve got to live with that as well. It means more administration for the club secretaries and for the GFA secretary as well.

‘I thought we were trying to reduce paperwork. We just have to deal with the cards we are given to the best of our ability.

‘If we don’t get on with it, we’ll be left behind and we don’t want that.’

For this season, clubs now have to register 11 players in their top team. Finn believes this compounds North’s problem of lack of bodies in the Jackson as their Priaulx players will not be able to play down.

‘Our headache will be the Jackson: we have not got enough players,’ he said.

Other rules that were passed include the necessity of any club that has under-18 players to have an appointed child-welfare officer and juniors in the future can transfer away from a club at any time.

The machinery of the GFA has also been restructured.

The AGM saw the changes go through that mean the monthly council meeting has been scrapped and more power has been given to the executive committee.

‘I’ve been going to council for years,’ said Finn.

‘I feel it’s a waste of time. I don’t want to get involved in the GFA, I’m more concerned with my club.

‘I think they [the GFA board of directors] are doing a good job. They have got football at heart.’

Davey is also glad that council has been stopped.

‘It’s something we have to move ahead with,’ he said.

‘The council is outdated. I think it will all work out: let’s hope so anyway.’

Robert hopes that the GFA board does not become isolated from the clubs.

‘The proof of the pudding will be in the eating,’ he said.

‘If they say they are going to liaise with the clubs rather than have council, then let’s hope so. There’s no reason why they wouldn’t.

‘At the end of the day, the clubs have voted for it.’

The board has also had a change of personnel.

Phil Corbet, Richard Kowenicki and Alec Le Noury all chose not to stand for re-election.

Guernsey Cable & Wireless finance director, Claire Tisch, takes over from Kowenicki as the GFA’s finance director while a successor for Corbet as director for representative football is needed.

Kelvin Seeds returns to the fold with the responsibility for cups, leagues and grounds.

The former referee takes over from Jeff Vidamour who will concentrate on his role as vice-chairman.

‘I’m delighted with a now slimmer and fitter committee which will be to a benefit of football,’ said GFA chairman Dave Nussbaumer.

‘The future is looking good. The board is becoming the envy of other sports on the island.