Plans for new four-island women's football tournament

Action from Guernsey v Jersey
Image caption,

Guernsey beat Jersey for the first time since 2008 when the sides last met in May

  • Published

A new women's football tournament for Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Isle of Wight will be held in August.

The Cherry Godfrey Cup will take place on 23 and 24 August at Jersey's Springfield Stadium.

Organisers aim to hold the event every two years with the tournament allowing island players to compete against one another on a more regular basis.

Currently their only regular tournament football is the biennial Island Games which will next be hosted by Orkney in 2025.

"We're delighted to be hosting the inaugural Cherry Godfrey Cup at Springfield Stadium," said the Jersey Football Association's football services manager Jonathan Le Fondre.

"It was clear from our discussions with [mortgage brokers] Cherry Godfrey that they are extremely passionate about women's football in the islands and the launch of this tournament next month will build upon the fantastic growth of the women's game."

Isle of Man won bronze at the last Island Games in Guernsey last summer as Jersey finished fifth, Isle of Wight eighth and Guernsey ninth.

Since then, Guernsey recorded their first win over Jersey in 16 years when they beat their old rivals 2-0 at Springfield in their annual Muratti Vase match.

Semi-finals of the tournament will be held on Friday, 23 August with the losers playing off for third place on the morning of Saturday, 24 August.

The winners will meet in the final at 15:00 BST on 24 August.

"It's really exciting," Guernsey manager Anna Gauvain told BBC Guernsey.

"It's something for the girls to look forward to after the Muratti.

"It gets us straight back into competitive games which is great for the girls and us as coaches.

"The girls just want competitive football, so having this so soon after what's been a great year for us just helps keep the motivation going."

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