Government-owned grounds have lacked changing facilities since the start of the 2020/21 JFA Combination season following the redistribution of cleaning staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has resulted in players being forced to change on the touchline at Les Quennevais, FB Fields and the Airport Playing Fields, with their belongings often being left exposed to the recent wet weather.
Concerns have also been raised over the knock-on effect of toilet facilities being closed – particularly at FB Fields and the Airport. Players at Les Quennevais do still have toilet access via the referees’ changing room and main sports-centre building.
Earlier this week Senator Steve Pallett, whose political portfolio includes Island sport, said government sport division resources could not stretch to cover the extra cleaning and sanitisation required during the pandemic, so JFA officials have approached top-level politicians in an attempt to source help from elsewhere.
‘We’re trying to find out if it would be feasible to get additional resources to clean the football changing rooms,’ said Andy Jehan, acting chairman of the JFA facilities committee. ‘We would then need to find ways of funding that.
‘The staff who normally clean the [Les Quennevais] football changing rooms are busy cleaning within the sports centre. The workload has increased there and we’re grateful for their efforts.
‘We’re in dialogue with the government and we’re trying to find a resolution. But we appreciate there are a million and one things going on and football is just a small part of that.
‘I want to emphasise that we are grateful that the pitches are open. We don’t want to find that football and other sports go backwards. The easiest thing for people to do is say it’s too much hassle and stop, but we’d end up with further problems then. I think there will be a much bigger issue in the winter months than the spring and summer on the mental-health side of things.’
Jehan added: ‘The clubs are doing a good job. Each club has a Covid officer and they should be keeping a record of attendees at games. There is some good stuff going on.’
