Two members of the FA were in Jersey last week to discuss a number of issues relating to JFA and FA affairs and the findings of the meeting will now be reported back to the FA by Graham Noakes, director of Football Administration and Refereeing, and Mark Ives, Hampshire’s County development officer.JFA president Charlie Tostevin said: ‘It was an excellent discussion and hopefully lots of good things have come out of it both for the FA and us.’The appeals procedure was one issue discussed as it is something that has been nagging our association for several years.
We feel that the current system is unfair simply because of the high costs involved, either to our Association or to a player if either loses a case.’It is certainly not right, either, that a player will choose to accept a sentence purely because he feels that, if he loses, he has all of the costs of a trip to Southampton to pay.’So either way it isn’t right, and although we haven’t discussed anything with Guernsey yet, maybe in future our appeals could be heard there, and in turn their appeals could be heard here in Jersey.’Numerous offshore islands are in a similar position to Jersey and, hopefully, an agreement will be reached satisfying players and associations’.Affiliation to the FA is another topic under discussion as the JFA are not full members, despite being allocated funding for two full-time officers and for FA County Youth Cup travel.
The Island also receives FA Cup appointments for local referees.Tostevin added: ‘We are 99 per cent members in the FA’s eyes, the only thing we don’t have is a full member on their Council.
If we get full membership status the option to have someone on council would be nice.’Tostevin confirmed that the FA pair were travelling round the country talking to different county associations.Plans are also afoot for the FA to assist the JFA in producing a handbook with clearer rules for everyone to understand.Everything discussed between the two parties will be taken back and discussed further with leading officials at Lancaster Gate.
