Guernsey FC boss Tony Vance signs up Island Games squad

Guernsey FC boss Tony Vance has confirmed that every member of the squad which won silver at the Island Games has signed for the club.

They will be the first ever Channel Island side to play in an English league when they make their Combined Counties League debut next month.

"The entire group of 20 players have signed on, which I always thought would be the case," Vance told BBC Guernsey.

"Hopefully next week we're going to pick up another four or five signings."

The squad came back from the Island Games with a silver medal after losing to the hosts, the Isle of Wight, in the final.

Vance added that the club would not be importing any players into the squad, which he hopes will number between 20 and 25 players.

"This is about people who live or work in Guernsey," he continued.

"These are players over here, people I know, people who've played for the Guernsey national team for years."

And despite taking most of the best players for his squad, Vance still feels the local league can survive.

"They're still going to be allowed to play for their clubs and I want them to do that because when they're not playing for us they need to be playing for somebody to keep their fitness levels up.

"Ultimately, my argument for it is that this is football for everybody.

"The Guernsey league is an average standard league, but the best players need to be playing in better environments and this is what we're trying to achieve for them."