AFTER facing five consecutive days of temperatures above 30°C – including the hottest day ever recorded in Jersey – Islanders might feel a renewed empathy for players taking hydration breaks during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But roll back the clock to the mid-1970s, and footballers simply got on with it.
This was definitely the case in Jersey, where summer matches – which often including teams fielded by hospitality businesses such as hotels and pubs – would draw sizeable crowds reflecting the then-booming tourism industry.
David Ferey (87) was among the Islanders who took part.
“It was good fun,” he told the JEP, though he acknowledged players were “dying for a drink” during those particular games.
“Of course you couldn’t stop,” he added. “You would have a drink at half time and at full time when you were dizzy.”
Mr Ferey still has newspaper articles from the era, including a report on the match in which he represented the Milano Hotel against Modern Hotels during the long, hot summer of 1976.
“It just went on and on,” he said, recalling that year’s heatwave – though he noted the football was still “enjoyable”.
A look back at the long, hot summer of 1976 can be found on pages 22 and 23 of today’s paper.
