AFTER a week of pushing – unashamedly – the concept of a Guernsey United football team, it is only fair to come clean. Yes, I am dead serious.

I say that, because one or two I came across at the Track last Saturday night when a few men and no dogs, braved the onset of winter to watch the Priaulx XI beat a very ordinary Glouceste-rshire County League side, thought I was having a laugh with my comment that day.

However, using the Ebbsfleet United project as a means of drumming up funds and interest in what would be our new flagship football team, is not another vehicle to knock the Guernsey Football Association leadership which appears to be a favourite pastime of many.

It is not commonly known, but true nevertheless, that the current GFA executive are desperate to galvanize the local game, starting at the top. Some of them are working hard.

They have led the push for the Channel Islands League and, before too long, I expect them to unveil a draft of proposals to transform much of our domestic league football.

But the biggest task facing them remains – 1, what can be done to stop the gradual decline of playing standards and pool of talent; 2, find the best inspirational tool to the emerging potential we have and, 3, perhaps the biggest task of all, stir our apathetic sports fans and get them out of their armchairs and through the gates?

Guernsey United can work. All it requires is the commitment to make it do so.

It will, of course, be a very tall order and very expensive, but if the GFA, who should be involved only at the outset and move aside if United becomes a reality, manage to roll this one out then local football has a fighting chance of withstanding the combined onslaught of all those sports who are now challenging them – cricket, rugby, table tennis, athletics and hockey, to name but five.

Tony Vance summed it up this week: ‘If my son was equally good at cricket as football I would probably push him down the cricket route because they are competing on the world stage if they are good enough. That for me is disappointing.’

I dare say there is a large proportion of the island footballing fraternity who regard the Guernsey United scheme as total nonsense, unworkable and a waste of time and effort.

They will do so because they only have the interests of their own particular club at heart. Nothing else.

North, I bet, would be aghast if it happened, Belgraves and St Martin’s also. Why? They would have to find half a first team to replace the stars who are signed by United.

But that does not make the United project wrong and, anyway, longer term, Sarnian footy will be a lot stronger if there is a flagship club side – not a representative one – playing week in, week out in the UK. It will raise standards, entertainment levels and interest.

Steve Ogier, I assume, would jump at the chance to take charge of United and hand over the reins of the island representative side to someone else.

He is positive about the United dream. ‘It would be great if we could do it,’ he said.

He also suggests a poll or survey ‘to get the feeling of the football fraternity and outside’.

But he seems loathe to put himself in the firing line of angry shareholding fans who, as in Ebbsfleet United’s case, will get to make all the major decisions in their club and even have an influence of selection.

I would not envisage Guernsey United shareholders picking the team and choosing the formation, but why should they not have a voice on all the major club decisions, such as electing a board, executive, coach etc.

I see nothing wrong with dialogue between manager and shareholders on the net, as will be the case with Ebbsfleet.

So what next?

The GFA board have promised to treat the proposal seriously.

I hope they go one step further and quickly set up a small working party to come up with a strategy to ensure it happens, not simply decide whether it is a good idea or not.

Those individuals need not have posts within the GFA either. Get some forward-thinkers in there, a couple of influential businessmen, Tony Williams in the UK. He knows all there is to know about non-league football.