FOOTBALL IS A GAME FOR ALL AND ONE THAT TRULY INSPIRES
THE GUERNSEY FA IS PLEASED TO RELEASE DETAILS OF THE NEW STRATEGY FOR GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL IN THE ISLAND, WHICH WILL GUIDE THE ACTIONS AND FOCUS AREAS FROM 2024 UNTIL 2028, AND BEYOND.
FOOTBALL, IS A GAME FOR ALL, AND ONE THAT TRULY INSPIRES.
With over 130 years of history, football is a way of life and part of the community fabric in Guernsey, providing social connectivity for thousands of people involved in the game. It has the capacity to be a consistent source of enjoyment and positivity, providing memorable moments. Equally, it has the capacity to provide an escape and release during tough times.
The purpose of the Guernsey FA, as the custodians of the game in the Bailiwick, is to inspire lifelong journeys and positive change through football – by fostering accessibility, uniting the community, and enhancing the football experience for ALL. This strategy has, therefore, been designed to harness the positivity and passion that comes from being involved with the national game, and is committed to inspiring:
• Healthy lifestyles that support physical and mental wellbeing
• Social connections and a unified community
• Teamwork, commitment, and a sense of collective pride
• Education, development and personal learning journeys
• Positive environments that support equal access and participation for ALL
Without question, participation for All encompasses everyone who wants to be involved in the game – players, coaches, referees, administrators, spectators. It is the responsibility of the Guernsey FA to work with all stakeholders. In doing that, we will connect and serve the game to ensure that more people are inspired to get involved and enjoy the positive benefits we have identified.
Guernsey FA Chief Executive Officer, Gary Roberts commented:
“This strategy reflects our ongoing commitment to ensure that this progress continues so we can ensure our sport truly represents the unified, welcoming, and accessible game for ALL. This is the vision of the Guernsey FA, and one that underpins all that we do, and the way in which we work. Football should be a constant source of positivity across the island and, with Victoria Park, Guernsey’s new ‘Home of Football’, set to open in early 2025, the Guernsey FA recognises that the Time to Inspire a game for ALL is now.
The new strategic plan through to 2028, ‘Time to Inspire’, has been structured around the key aspects of football delivery that will enable us to deliver on the vision of a unified, welcoming and accessible game for ALL. This strategy incorporates bold and ambitious objectives for football in Guernsey, which we, and those that we have consulted, believe are in the best interests of the game, and will provide tangible benefits for all involved. We look forward with excitement to the next four years, conscious that the Guernsey FA will grow as an organisation. For the first time in its 130 years of existence, the Guernsey FA will have a home, and it is our ambition that Guernsey’s new ‘Home of Football’ will resonate with the football, and wider, island community to become a true community facility, and a central feature of our strategic plans and aspirations for the game. We are excited for this new journey, and working with all local football stakeholders, as we enter what will be the start of a transformational era for football in Guernsey – now is the ‘Time to Inspire’.”