Constable Steve Pallett, assistant minister at Economic Development with responsibility for sport, outlined his vision for a multi-purpose stadium on Saturday after an application to build a state-of-the-art sports academy on Jersey RFC grounds in St Peter was passed.
Alongside Championship rugby outfit Jersey Reds, Premier League 2 netballers Team Jets and the Jersey Football Association (who have applied for Uefa membership) could benefit from such plans, and Pallett last week highlighted questions about the suitability of current facilities for both national and international sport.
Uefa regulations for Category 4 stadiums require at least 8,000 seats, and while a new home will not be essential for European football, JFA president Phil Austin stands firmly behind proposals for improvement.
‘If we get into Uefa and attract crowds of up to 10,000 the possibility of being able to play in a new stadium would be very exciting,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the thought of constructing of a new indoor facility, alongside the stadium and sports academy, pleases Jets coach Linda Andrews.
‘Since 2001 I have been involved in talks about this, so it is brilliant that it might finally be happening,’ she said.
Read the full story in Wednesday’s JEP.
