the recent 2019 Island Games. The Government of Gibraltar wanted to leave a positive legacy for future sporting generations on the Island whereas the legacy left from Jersey’s 2015 games is that of decaying sports facilities and lack of investment.
The problems that we face now include a public sports infrastructure suffering from lack of investment. This proves, I believe, that the Island missed a great opportunity prior to the 2015 Island Games, to properly plan and invest in modern, fit-for-purpose sports facilities and once and for all deal with the historic legacy of blighted buildings such as Fort Regent, which continues to cost the taxpayer dearly. Having visited several public sports centres around the UK, it has become clear to me that we have forgotten what good means locally, and we desperately need a long- term strategy for the delivery of updated public sporting facilities.
I am pleased to say that early this year, such a much-needed strategy will be delivered. This will not only provide a better understanding of what sports facilities Jersey requires for the next 20 to 25 years, but also a timeframe for delivering them. I have no doubt the decades-long failure to invest, will take tens
of millions of pounds to put things right. But failure to commit now will be even more costly in the long run.
This will require brave politicians making the right decisions in the coming months, but make no bones about it, we simply cannot do nothing. Without the necessary investment over the next 6-8 years, our current sports infrastructure will break down with closures inevitable and we will not be able to promote health and well-being in the way that the new Jersey Care Model requires.
Good physical and mental health is a key strategic priority for the current government and we most definitely will not be able to build on the good work and tackle preventable ill health if we fail to invest. This investment will be crucial to providing a platform that not only afford islanders the opportunity to stay fit and active, it will allow local sports clubs to grow and provide the foundations for an improved sports tourism offering.
As far as rugby and football is concerned, I believe there is a strong case based on the need for long-term sustainability to co- locate the Jersey Reds and the Jersey representative football sides , including Jersey Bulls, onto one site by developing a
new ‘Island Stadium’ for Jersey. Neither the current home pitch at Springfield used by the Jersey Bulls and the Jersey Football Association or the Jersey Reds pitch at St. Peter are ideal and a new stadium would offer many shared benefits which in my opinion would make both sports financially stable and able to look to the future. Shared use of a new ground would require partnership working but would also offer both sports the hospitality offering they both crave. Better seating and viewing experience for their respective spectators will almost certainly give them the opportunity to grow sports tourism in both sports for the benefit of the Island. With the agreement of the necessary stakeholders and landowners, the current rugby club site could offer the best opportunity for delivering such an island stadium. It could potentially work well with the new sports academy being proposed by Ben Harvey, the previous head coach of Jersey Reds, and help attract more visiting professional rugby and football sides to Jersey for training purposes.
As chair of the government’s Sports Facilities Political Oversight Group, I am pleased that we are close to delivering the first long term strategy for public sports facilities in Jersey. The publication in early 2020 of the islands first ‘Health and Well-
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