DAVE DOREY would have filled up with pride and emotion had he been around on Wednesday night.

Not so much with the thought there is a very important new development trophy carrying his name, but the sight of the island football squad looking every inch the professionals as they stepped up onto the stage to receive their Team of the Year trophy at the Sporting Achievement Awards at Beau Sejour.

When Guernsey FC kicks its first ball, in many ways domestic football’s transformation will be complete, and Dave Dorey was the man who made the first glorious pass to drag it into the 21st century.

Sure, there are others who have played significant roles in that happening, but Dorey had the vision, energy and respect of the football community to turn around a sport which was not well thought of in and around Island Games circles 20 years ago and the fuss of Aland first time around.

Dave Dorey recognised that and when he had the power to do something about it, he did.

I can still recall the key words of the typical Dorey tour itinerary that dropped through the letterbox.

It always ended with the words:

‘Remember that at all times you are representing Guernsey.’

And I was just writing about the Games.

The former GFA president set new standards. He introduced uniforms, the blazers, the ties, the badges, the caps.

Guernsey left behind the parks and moved into places such as Bisham Abbey. He did not like to settle for second best.

On Wednesday evening the island football team looked a fantastic picture of professionalism as they arrived on stage.

Only one, just one, of their large squad was unable to make it.

The whole backroom team were there to share in the moment, too. They are a group, a club in all but name, which of course they will have before very long.

Josh Lewsey, clearly no lover of

football and the Rooneys of this world, should have been impressed and, had he known Dave Dorey, he would have been impressed with him for sure.

As for the awards night itself, it was another success story for the Commission despite the unfortunate blip at its climax.

It cannot be very often in the wide world of awards nights that the main man – in Wednesday’s case the Bailiff – gets to rip open the envelope revealing the winner, and discover it was a previously opened one with the name of an earlier winner upon it.

We can forgive that little hiccup and well done to Sir Geoffrey for spotting it.

All in all, the right people won the right awards, the right people made it through to the top three.

The level of excellence across the 11 awards was better than ever.

Guernsey sport is doing a lot right. Well done everyone.

ALISON MERRIEN is being very impatient.The 2010 sports awards season is not over but already she has secured her place as a leading contender for the Guernsey and CI awards this time next year.

After her fairly disastrous showing at the Commonwealths and failure to win the Guernsey women’s title, one was beginning to wonder if her crown was slipping.

But as we have seen this week at Potters Leisure Resort in Norfolk, her crown was merely tilted and with her double success it is sitting fair and square back on her head.

To withstand such a determined and charging Aussie in Karen Murphy when, briefly her own game was all at sea, showed Merrien’s toughness.

To lose a set 11-0 and then the first end of the tiebreak set, but still win, underlined her fighting qualities as well as highlighting her skills under pressure.

THE current trawl through the archives of the 1993 Island Games in the Isle of Wight has taught me one important thing – that is just how so many sports have moved on in 18 years. In particular, two that featured in the Isle of Wight that year: athletics and cycling.

Back in 1993 cycling was competitive but the Isle of Man were still over the horizon as far as the Sarnians were concerned.

The same cannot be said now.

While the Manx production line shows no sign of slowing and they remain ahead of us, Guernsey cycling is catching up the island that produced Mark Cavendish and Andrew Roche and the fiercely competitive Isle of Man will be wary of the Sarnian threat going into the Isle of Wight.

Athletics, too, is so much stronger than it was in 1993 when Jay Peet scooped three golds and high jumper Phil Diamond one, in an otherwise inglorious period for our track and field contingent.

Back in those days selection for some events was not too far beyond the process of ‘can you get the time off work, if so you are in’.

Nearly two full decades later many a decent runner will be left at home to twiddle their thumbs and the GIAAC may well be faced in staging a series of run-offs to ensure it is sending the very best team it can.

It was encouraging to hear Dale Garland speak of his responsibility to do what is not only right for him but also the GIAAC’s development process, as he mulls over what events he might challenge for in the Isle of Wight.

The man could compete in 100, 200, 110 hurdles, 400, 400m hurdles, all three jumps and a couple of throws, if he so wished, and be good enough to win medals in most.

But that approach would stunt the process of bringing through young athletes, one in which he plays a leading role.

The competition at 400 and 800 metres is staggeringly competitive.

I can recall being at the Mountbatten track in Portsmouth 13 years ago when Stuart Tolcher took Keith Falla’s island record with a run of 48.78.

Back then it was quite something for a Sarnian to break 50sec. for one lap, but six months short of Guernsey’s return to the Fairway track we have five men who have run sub-50 in recent times and another half-dozen who are hovering around the sub-51 mark.

The quartet that smashed the Games record in Aland in 2009 is by no means certain of remaining in tact as a host of youngsters get faster by the season.

2011 may be too early for Leo Rice, Ross Hanley and Eben Marsh to break into the four that will run the final, but they have our Commonwealth Games four, all

susceptible to injury, looking over their shoulders.

There is a new generation pushing and there are sufficient potential 51sec. runners or quicker in the club to fill all six lanes at the Foote’s Lane track, twice over.

It is almost as competitive in the 800 where Tom Druce has ruled the roost at Island Games level for the past three Games.

If you include Dale Garland and Lee Merrien, who will not be in the slightest bit interested in a two-lap race, there are 10 capable of breaking the two-minute barrier.

To a lesser extent it is much the same in the distance events, with no end of quality runners pressing as the club capitalises on the professional approach of coaching the likes of Alan Rowe and Lee Merrien have brought to the club in recent years.

Sebastian Foy’s arrival in the island should serve to only improve matters, but sad to say the Loughborough graduate is ineligible for this particular Games as he does not quite make the qualifying period.

It’s certainly happy days for both cycling and athletics.