THE 2023 Muratti Vase semi-final against Alderney is hanging in the balance as the Jersey Football Association try to work out how to get there.
The match is due to take place in Alderney on 25 March and the JFA had hoped to fly there directly with Aurigny. However, the airline have informed them that they are now unable to charter one of their planes.
David Kennedy, the chief executive of the JFA, is now looking at alternative methods to get there but is so far struggling to find a solution and believes the Channel Islands Football Inter-Insular committee may have to review how the competition is delivered in future years.
‘We’ve had regular communications with Aurigny just to get a chartered flight booked in but less than five weeks out they have come back to us and said it is not an option.
‘So we’ve now got to try to think outside of the box to make it happen,’ said Kennedy.
‘We’ve been in touch with Alderney Ferry Services to see if there is a possibility of how they can help us out but they’ve already said there could be problems with sailing timings and we know there are very few spaces now to get us from Guernsey to Alderney and back on the same day.
‘It’s become easier and cheaper to play a fixture in London than it is Guernsey or Alderney. With flights, ferries and possible overnight stays, the costs could become astronomical.’
Nevertheless, Kennedy is keen that the semi-final fixture in Alderney remains in place.
‘Ultimately, Alderney is a great venue for a semi-final. We don’t want to see that fixture compromised but the days of when we could charter a flight there and back appear to be long gone,’ he added.
‘Everyone in the inter-insular competition is working hard to make sure this goes ahead. Alderney are using their own contacts to see what they can do but we now need to find out what options are out there.
‘It’s just a shame. There is such an appetite for inter-insular sport but the shortage of day returns is in danger of killing it off.
‘There needs to be some discussions held about inter-island travel in general because there are far fewer people travelling between the islands. And it’s not just about sport but the whole sector.’
