Team Guernsey, including stars such as striker Ross Allen, pictured here against the Hertfordshire League last weekend, could have another tournament to contest. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 0916733)

The English Football Association are driving plans for a new event with the working title ‘The International Challenge Shield’.

The competition is aimed at smaller island associations that may never get the opportunity to play in international competitions, other than the biennial Island Games.

Uefa seem to have put a block on small nations such as Guernsey, Jersey and Gibraltar from playing in existing European competitions, but this could be a partial answer to such islands shortage of meaningful representative competition.

Mark Le Tissier, chairman of the GFA, sees merit in the event, while stressing that it is still at a discussion stage.

‘Obviously, we are keen to pursue this opportunity and are looking forward to seeing how this idea develops,’ he said yesterday.

• Read the full story in the Guernsey Press. See below for subscription details.