Blues face wait after island games opponent pulls out
Kevin Craigens
The Shetland football team face a wait to discover their new opponent after the Guernsey FA pulled out of the island games next summer.
The Blues were drawn in a “group of death” with reigning champions Jersey, Gozo and Guernsey but will no longer face the latter.
Guernsey pulled both male and female squads from the competition, claiming travel costs and a lack of accommodation as their reasons it was “unviable” to go.
GFA chief executive Gary Roberts said he appreciated the games’ host Orkney had been doing everything in their power to increase capacity and put on a great show.
“Unfortunately, the accommodation we have been allocated does not allow us to meet our responsibilities when travelling with two teams of mixed ages. As a minimum, we would need to take additional safeguarding chaperones which are not included within our competitor allocations,” Roberts said.
“The GFA Board discussed the situation earlier this week and agreed that player experience had to be the priority when considering our participation in the competition.”
He added that it would come as a huge disappointment to those eager to take part but would be “actively looking for alternative opportunities” to have competitive football next year.
