A SIX-FIGURE funding injection to help meet the costs for Team Jersey’s participation in next summer’s Island Games has been described as a “lifesaver” by a senior sports administrator.
The government has confirmed a one-off grant of £150,000 towards the cost of travel and accommodation for around 240 athletes and officials from 14 sports expected to make the trip to the Faroe Islands next July.
News of the funding, which has been made available via underspends forecast to be achieved during 2026, was welcomed enthusiastically by Steve Jacobs, chair of the Island Games Association of Jersey, who said he had feared the Island’s contingent would have been significantly reduced by a bill originally estimated at more than £3,000 per person.
“There has been a lot of concern about how remote the Faroes are and how expensive the costs were looking – nothing’s cheap up there,” he said. “The overall cost was likely to put quite a few people off, so this is a rescue package, a real lifesaver in terms of the planning that’s taking place.”
Mr Jacobs said that the association would now be able to press ahead with plans for a charter flight to the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, situated in the North Atlantic midway between Scotland and Iceland.
“We’re hugely grateful to all those involved in reaching this decision,” he added.
Assistant Economic Development Minister Serena Kersten, who has political responsibility for sport, said she believed the grant could make a crucial difference to some of those looking to be part of Team Jersey next year.
“Unfortunately it might not still be enough for some people, but hopefully for some athletes today, we’ve enabled them to keep chasing their dreams of competing at the highest possible level, so that’s a positive thing.”
With her sport of netball not being part of the Island Games, Senator Kersten did not get the chance to represent Jersey at the biennial event, but was a key member of the England squad who won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“As an athlete involved in a minority sport pretty much my whole career until I was able to play professionally during the last few years, I fully appreciate how difficult it is to fundraise alongside working or studying – finding the right balance is incredibly tough.
“But being able to represent the Island on an international stage is a really special thing, and that’s why I believe we needed to try and find ways to support our athletes.”
Senator Kersten said she hoped that next summer’s event would see Jersey begin to build towards the 2030s and the prospect of hosting the Island Games for the first time in two decades. It is anticipated Jersey will receive “preferred bidder” status for the 2035 Games during 2028, with a formal bid being lodged the following year.
Economic Development Minister Gerald Voisin said: “Representing Jersey should be about sporting achievement, not affordability, and we’re committed to supporting the opportunities the Island Games creates for Islanders.”
