Athletes with ambitions to represent Jersey at the 2027 Island Games in the Faroe Islands have received a financial boost through the award of £150,000 in government funding.
The one-off grant, financed through underspends forecast within this year’s States accounts, will go towards travel and accommodation for the sportspeople and officials in the Jersey squad, expected to be total around 240 people across 14 sports.
Senator Serena Kersten, assistant minister with responsibility for sport, said she believed the grant could make a crucial difference to some of those looking to be part of Team Jersey next year.
“Unfortunately it might not still be enough for some people, but hopefully for some athletes today, we’ve enabled them to keep chasing their dreams of competing at the highest possible level, so that’s a positive thing,” she said.
“Being able to represent the Island on an international stage is a really special thing, and that’s why I believe we needed to try and find ways to support our athletes.”
Steve Jacobs of the Islland Games Association of Jersey said: “We’re hugely grateful to all those involved in reaching this decision.
“There has been a lot of concern about how remote the Faroes are and how expensive the costs were looking – nothing’s cheap up there.
“The overall cost was likely to put quite a few people off, so this [grant] is a real lifesaver in terms of the planning that’s taking place.”
