Isthmian League club one of six venues to host football matches at the 2023 Island Games

The stadium of Isthmian League club Guernsey FC will be one of the six venues to host football matches at the 2023 Island Games.

Confused by the latter? We’re here to explain, and it’s something you might end up being interested in attending later this summer if you get the chance.

The 2023 Island Games is the sixteenth edition in which an association football tournament was played at the multi-games competition and the tenth Women’s tournament.

Along with football, archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, cycling, golf, indoor bowls, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis and triathlon will also take place.

Nineteen teams applied for the Men’s football competition, however time constraints limited the number of teams to sixteen, with a draw to eliminate three teams. Western Isles, Hitra and Alderney become reserve teams.

Men’s football teams taking part

Åland
Bermuda
Falkland Islands
Frøya
Gozo
Greenland
Guernsey
Isle of Man
Isle of Wight
Jersey
Menorca
Orkney
Shetland
Saint Helena
Western Isles
Ynys Môn

Women’s football teams taking part

Åland
Bermuda
Guernsey
Hitra
Isle of Man
Isle of Wight
Jersey
Menorca
Western Isles
Ynys Môn

The following venues will host the football matches:
Corbet Field (Vale Recreation FC)
Blanches Pierre Lane (St Martins AC)
Northfield (Northerners AC)
College Field
The Track (Belgrave Wanderers)
Footes Lane (Guernsey FC)

The full programme of fixtures will be released by the end of February.

 

Gary Roberts, football coordinator for the Games, said: ‘The Football Community in Guernsey is looking forward to the 2023 Games football tournament, with excitement building now that the draw has been made. Everyone is aware of the growing popularity of the women’s game, particularly following England’s success in the Euros last year, and we look forward to welcoming the 9 visiting women’s teams, along with the 15 visiting men’s teams, for what we anticipate will be very competitive competitions.

‘The Football Organising Committee is progressing well with preparations for the competitions, and this includes plans to introduce a £125k pitch maintenance equipment bank that will be used to ensure the pitches at College Field, Corbet Field, Northfield, Blanche Pierre Lane and the Track are in the best possible condition.’

The football pool games will take place Sunday 9^th– Tuesday 11^th July. The top teams from each group will go through to the playoffs on Thursday 13^th July with the finals on Friday 14^th July.

The Island Games last took place in 2019, held in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar with it the second time that the territory has hosted the games, the first being in 1995.

The Island Games were to have been held in Guernsey, Channel Islands in 2021 however due to Covid, the games were postponed.

The 2019 Inter Games Football Tournament was an association football tournament held between 15 and 22 June 2019 in Anglesey, Wales, organised due to the hosts of the 2019 Island Games, Gibraltar, being unable to run a tournament due to lack of pitches.

As football is one of the most popular sports at the games it was decided to hold the matches elsewhere, albeit with the results not officially part of the Island Games history. It was announced in May 2018 that the Welsh island had been chosen as the preferred venue to host.

n August of that year, 12 clubs put forward their names to hold matches and the draw for both the men’s and women’s competitions were made on 19 November by Wayne Hennessey and Osian Roberts.

Ynys Môn went on the win the final 2–1 against Guernsey in front of over 3,000 fans.

This occasion will be the third time that the island has hosted the games, the first being in 1987, the second in 2003.

When rescheduled, the week long event will see around 3,000 competitors from 24 islands take part in 12 sports.

The Faroe Islands were initially made hosts for the games but pulled out of doing so in early 2015. In July 2016 the Island Games AGM unanimously decided to award the games to Guernsey.

3,000 competitors from 24 island entities of the IIGA, from Europe, South Atlantic and the Caribbean area will compete in these Games.

Åland Islands
Alderney
Bermuda
Cayman Islands
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Frøya
Gibraltar
Gotland
Gozo
Greenland
Guernsey (Host)
Hitra
Isle of Man
Isle of Wight
Jersey
Menorca Menorca
Orkney
Saaremaa
Saint Helena
Sark
Shetland Islands
Western Isles
Anglesey Ynys Môn

To see more, including the winners / medals / points table, plus the history, hosts and venues, click HERE.

To find out more on the 2023 Island Games in Guernsey, you can click HERE.

Islanders who have gone on to participate in Olympic Games events include the likes of:

Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man) — cycling (Olympic silver medal winner)
Cameron Chalmers (Guernsey) – 4 x 400m – Tokyo 2020
Dale Garland (Guernsey) – 4 × 400m – Beijing 2008
Rebecca Heyliger (Bermuda) – swimming
Pál Joensen (Faroe Islands) — swimming (World Championship bronze medal winner)
Lee Merrien (Guernsey) – Marathon – London 2012
Cydonie Mothersille (Cayman Islands) — 200m (World Championship bronze medal winner)
Kelly Sotherton (Isle of Wight) — heptathlon and 400m (Olympic bronze medal winner)
Mattias Sunneborn (Gotland) — long jump and 200m (World Indoor Championship silver medal winner)
Albert Torres (Menorca) — cycling (World Championship gold medal winner)
Andres Lauk (Saaremaa) − cycling − Atlanta 1996

So who knows, you might end up seeing a future Olympian! The occasion is sure to be a success, with a good turnout expected with no doubt a lot of Brits keen to travel over this summer.