Guernsey FC: November deadline for season to begin

More than 1,000 people watched Guernsey FC beat FC Isle of Man on penalties last September to win the Skipton Cup - their last match of any description

Guernsey FC have to start playing games by 1 November or they will be forced to miss another season, according to the chairman of the Isthmian League.

The Green Lions have not played a competitive game since February 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Guernsey's Covid-19 rules state people arriving must be fully vaccinated seven days before travel to avoid isolating.

The club's season had already been put back twice, having pulled out of the league last season.

"What we have said is if they can't start the season by 1 November, that's when we really need to bring in the draconian measure in saying 'sorry, it's not fair to anybody, therefore we want to suspend your membership for the season, but you come back in at step four'," Isthmian League chairman Nick Robinson told BBC Radio Guernsey.

The island side were moved to the Isthmian League South Central division - the fourth tier of non-league football in England - after a restructure in May.

The club's pre-season games with FC Isle of Man were also postponed and the islanders last played a competitive game on 22 February 2020 when they lost 6-0 to Ashford United.

A meeting of the Football Association's alliance and leagues committees - which governs football in the two tiers below the National League - will discuss Guernsey's case next week.

Guernsey's Covid-19 rules currently mean it is not possible for unvaccinated players to come to the island without self-isolating, making matches unfeasible.

"It would be in my view wrong to remove the club from the division when there is nothing they can do about it," added Robinson.

"It's not even realistic to say 'you've got to play on the mainland' under the current regulations."

Robinson said that forcing clubs to use players who are double-vaccinated would not be fair on the rest of the league, who would not face the same restrictions for their other matches.

"I believe that the individual has the right not to be vaccinated," he added. "I wouldn't agree with it, I've been double-vaccinated and I believe personally that is the right way, but I will fight for the individual's right not to be double-vaccinated.

"Should that stop him playing football? That's the problem that our board faces because one member last time said 'in the rest of the division my players haven't got to be double-vaccinated to play in the other away matches'.

"That's the conundrum that we have in trying to treat everybody the same.

"I believe what we need to do is hope that with vaccination ongoing as it is that everybody is a lot more comfortable. Hopefully the States [of Guernsey] will relax the regulations and we will be able to get a match played during October, or at least an agreement during October for what is going to happen for the rest of the season."