Football squad will go to island games

SHETLAND’S footballers will definitely be taking part in next year’s Island Games, it has been confirmed.

But SFA president Magnus Flaws has called for the council to help competitors with the increased cost of travelling to Aland next June.

The players had a meeting with Mr Flaws and team manager John Johnson on Monday evening and only one member of the squad said he definitely would not be making the trip, which could cost as much as £1,000 for each competitor.

It is a sizeable increase on the £700 cost of travelling to the Rhodes games last year – when the SFA decided not to send a team to defend the gold medal they won here in 2005.

Mr Flaws said: “We had one definite no, because of family commitment, but the rest seem fairly committed. It’s difficult to say [how many of the squad will go] because some are away at university, but the ones that were there were all keen.”

The squad is due to start training on Sunday and is looking at ways of fundraising for the games. Mr Flaws will be approaching the SIC to make an increased contribution to the costs.

“I’m hoping to be speaking to the convener shortly,” he said. “If they were doing that it would have to be across the board and I’d hope they would. It is the best of Shetland sportsmen and women that’s representing the islands, and I would hope that the local authority would help to support that.”