A FORMER world champion says ‘something must change’ when it comes to financial support for Island athletes, after receiving what he feels is inadequate backing from Jersey Sport.
Aaron Canavan, who won the World Seniors title in 2018, has reached the final of the ‘Snooker Legends 900’ but he admits it has come at a huge personal cost. The Islander has spent almost £25,000 of his own money in recent years to continue achieving his dreams, but has been offered just £200 in 2022 through Jersey Sport’s grants committee.
Canavan shared the Crucible Theatre with Stephen Hendry in 2020 – taking a frame off the seven-time world champion before falling to a 4-1 defeat.
‘To go it alone in a given sport is incredibly challenging,’ said Canavan, a mechanic by trade.
‘I have invested over £24,000 of my own money since 2018, while only receiving £200 [per year, on average] from Jersey Sport.
‘For someone working in a garage, that is a huge amount of money. Fortunately I have had some big successes, which have enabled me to continue playing, but the lack of external help puts a lot of financial strain on me.’
Canavan firmly believes that there is a bias towards mainstream sports such as football and rugby and that more niche sports are neglected.
‘If I was a footballer or rugby player, Jersey Sport would have far more interest in what I was doing,’ he said.
‘The 900 has been televised and the level of opposition I managed to beat was very strong.
‘With £200 of funding, it didn’t even cover putting the Jersey logo on my outfits for the tournament, so that isn’t on there, which is a massive shame for a televised event.
‘I’m not forking out my own money to place a logo on my sleeve when there is no apparent interest from their side.’
The Caesarean’s dedication to his craft is plain to see. After a full day of work at CVS in Rouge Bouillon, he rushes home for a quick dinner, before three hours of solo snooker practice.
His work ethic paid dividends at the 900 qualifier, where he ‘didn’t miss a ball in three days’ to knock off Stuart Watson and Tony Knowles 6-0 and 4-0 respectively.
However, the underlying issues of funding continually played on his mind.
He said: ‘When I told Jersey Sport that I was competing in televised events, they said it’s really important I mention the work they do in any interviews.
‘I was furious at the request. £200 in 18 months of elite competition and I’m asked to thank them for the support?
‘I want to be honest and open, because there are so many Islanders like me. I coach a young snooker player who has bundles of talent and could go very far in this game. With the funding situation over here, I advised him and his parents that he should relocate to the UK.
‘Something must change. You cannot expect Jersey’s athletes to compete at the highest level without adequate support.’
A Jersey Sport spokesperson said: ‘Jersey Sport continues to lobby the Government of Jersey for the support of, and funding towards, performance sport for local athletes and sports people.
‘The only funding currently available to Jersey Sport is awarded for the use of travel grants.
‘Following careful consideration, Aaron was awarded a sum of money by our grants committee to support his application. The sum awarded was considered to be fair in relation to the total amount of claims requested over the year, compared to the total amount we had to allocate. Terms and conditions form part of any we grant award, and we ask that recipients recognise the support given where possible.
‘Jersey Sport sympathise with Aaron’s position, and we will continue to actively campaign for the support of performance sport by the Government of Jersey. We hope to find out shortly if any further financial support will be provided for performance sport in the new Government Plan.’
The Snooker Legends 900 final, which takes place on 23 November, is due to be televised on Sky channel 437.
