coal, wine and potatoes. Then on 11th April 1967, the States of Jersey approved a proposition from the Gambling Control Committee to use public lotteries money to redevelop Fort Regent. The first building completed was the swimming pool near the Glacis Field and over the next 15 years the main fort structure was covered by the iconic roof that we see today.
The Fort now holds many memories for islanders and visitors and it’s disgraceful that it has been left to its current decaying state. Many believe, and I agree with them, that the demise of Fort Regent started with the building of the Aquasplash pool, a decision that drastically reduced the footfall at the Fort. Sadly but inevitably the Fort pool was demolished because of its condition and this was seen as progress by the Fort Regent Political Oversight group, chaired by the Chief Minister. Well over two years into this political term, no long-term plans for Fort Regent have been agreed and frankly I am not holding my breath!
Springfield’s current facilities opened in 1997 in time to host the Island Games. This was following the States’ foresight in purchasing the site from the RJ&HS in 1994. Les Quennevais Sports Centre was opened in 1996 and was the centrepiece for the swimming competition at the 1997 Island Games. Surprisingly, the Aquasplash pool was not designed for either competition or spectators which looking back seems a serious error of judgement. None of the centres have had major refurbishment and now look tired and dated and in need of a great deal of investment. But why do I say that? Well I have recently visited various sports facilities around the UK built in the past few
years.The centres in Glasgow, Manchester and London amongst others, are modern, well designed facilities that meet the needs of their local communities in many ways, not just sporting. Being up-to-date, they are more efficient to run both from a maintenance and staffing viewpoint. In contrast, the Jersey taxpayer has to subsidise our sports centres each year to the tune of well over £2 million pounds.
I believe we have forgotten in Jersey what good means in terms of public sports facilities and that has to change if we are to avert a crisis in its provision. Such a crisis could be accelerated by possibly having to close Fort Regent at some point to carry out crucial maintenance.
The problem with the Fort has been identified in several structural reports since the late 1990s. The SWEETT Report in 2015, for example, set out several ‘serious or critical’ issues that needed action. As Chair of the Fort Regent Steering Group prior to the 2018 General Election, I am saddened that the current Political Oversight Group, chaired by Senator Le Fondre, has ignored the work carried out in the previous term by my steering group. That had led to an expressions of interest document being prepared exploring private sector investment alongside commitment by the Jersey taxpayer. A more open-minded attitude by the current Political Oversight Group might have resulted in speedier progress in redeveloping Fort Regent, and I suspect little or no progress will be made until a new government is elected in May 2022.
We simply cannot ignore any longer the need to invest in our sports infrastructure. Looking back we should have put the necessary planning
and financial commitment in place prior to such a major event as the successful 2015 Island Games. With foresight, winning the bid for those games should have resulted in an examination of the state of all public sports facilities and recognition of the problems we could be storing up. The legacy of the Games might then have been modern sports facilities able to serve Islanders for the next 30 years. Instead, we have a portfolio of under-resourced and poorly maintained sporting venues.
I accompanied our NatWest Island Games squad to the games held in Gibraltar in 2019, I saw first hand the incredible amount of investment the host had put into sporting facilities. The government of Gibraltar was determined their games would create ‘a legacy for sport for generations to come.‘ We should have had the same determination in 2015.
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Beyond 20/20 - Sport
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