THE Jersey FA are searching for new 3G facilities for the Island’s growing football scene.
The new Local Football Facilities Plan, published by the Football Foundation, has highlighted the urgent need for more 3G football pitches in Jersey.
The Local Football Facility Plan (LFFP) has been prepared with support from local partners, including Jersey FA, the Government of Jersey, Jersey Sport and the Football Foundation.
With around 250 teams and over 3,500 players, the demand for all-weather football facilities has reached a tipping point.
JFA CEO Tim Pryor is working hard to bring the plans to fruition: “The loudest message is the demand for more access to pitch time, for training.
“The difficulty we have now is ensuring there are enough facilities to meet that demand. It’s a big challenge trying to find the funding and suitable areas on which we can build.”
The growing participation in Jersey football has authorised plans for more pitches, Pryor continued: “It’s great news that loads of people want to play football, and participation numbers have gone up over the years and continue to go up.”
“New facilities cost well over a million pounds. They can cost tens of millions of pounds if you want a stadium around it, like they’ve done in Guernsey.”
“And the Football Foundation provides really significant funding, but at the same time, those that are building the pitch need to find their proportion of the fund.”
The lack of funding has proved the most arduous obstacle: “The money isn’t necessarily easy to find, whether it’s the Government of Jersey or the clubs it’s seemingly difficult for both because it still requires a lot of money.”
Current 3G pitches provision is operating at near full capacity at peak times, limiting access for clubs and community.
The growing of participation, whether that be more young players, the increased interest in girls’ football along with inclusive programmes such as the walking football and over-35s divisions, have all added pressure to limited infrastructure.
The Football Foundation looked at the existing facilities on the Island in conjunction with the quantity of teams and decided that Jersey are four full-size 3G pitches short for the amount of football being played.
Pryor mentioned their involvement and support: “They’re willing to back us on support projects, but it’s about finding the other percentage of the money to really make it happen.
They will fund 60 or 70% of a project, but the remainder of the funding is difficult to find for local clubs.”
The JFA recently created a new Football Development Officer role with specific responsibility for facilities work. Andy McKay, who started in March, said: “3G pitches are a necessity for the development and longevity of football in Jersey.”
Pryor and McKay are planning on working tirelessly to deliver better facilities local grassroots football.
Since 2000, the Football Foundation has invested over £1 billion to improve grassroots facilities across the UK. With the help of the Football Foundation and McKay’s new role, the JFA can certainly create a real focus on improving facilities.
The winter season can bring poor playing conditions. Many fixtures over the years have been postponed due to waterlogged pitches and the introduction of all-weather facilities will cut the potential for fixture disruption.
Pryor alluded to Guernsey’s newest facility, in Victoria Park, which hosted the 2025 Muratti fixtures. “There was a big backer for Guernsey’s new Victoria Park so, for us, we would benefit from finding sponsors that would be willing to support us and have their name attached to a new facility.”
The other possible route that Pryor mentioned is a fundraising campaign: “Otherwise, it’s going to be a significant fundraising effort. We saw Jersey Hockey raise a lot of money in a short period of time which resulted in their fantastic new clubhouse.”
Jersey Hockey’s efforts proved expansion is possible. However, with Jersey football four pitches short of where they want to be, it will take a big push from the local community.
McKay is eager to get the planning underway: “These projects take time to plan and deliver, so it’s important we act now.”
“We need joined-up thinking across government, football, and the wider sport and community sector to get this done for the Island.”
The JFA have been identifying potential sites for new pitches, including Le Rocquier, which the Government of Jersey has confirmed is its preferred location for developing a 3G pitch.
The Jersey FA is also in the early stages of investigating whether IJB at Maufant (the only ground owned by the JFA) might feasibly be converted. Discussions are also underway about three potential sites in the west of the Island.