CHARLIE TOSTEVIN, president of the Jersey Football Association fully appreciates the pressures that have led two leading Guernsey FA officials to announce they will vacate their positions at the end of the current playing season.
Mark Le Tissier is to quit as chief executive of the Guernsey Football Association while president Alec Le Noury has also served notice of his intention to stand down.
Both men cite personal reasons for leaving their posts.Tostevin said: ‘I was surprised when I found out but knowing the reasons I understand why.
People in football forget that individuals have private lives and full time does not mean 24 hours a day seven days a week.’Officials in Jersey are under similar pressure but we are slightly different to Guernsey as our league is run by the Jersey Football Combination.’The Football Association has created much of the pressure.
It’s great to have help and finance from them but because of all their strategies it has added pressure to everyone all round.’Limited companyThe JFA are still moving towards becoming a limited company and appoint a chief executive officer who would also be company secretary.Tostevin added: ‘It is a paid position and it would come out of the funds we currently get from the FA.
It means we will have reorganise our current funds.’Voluntary official Mark Le Cornu stood down after a short spell helping the JFA update their business plan.’There are many things that still have to be sorted,’ said the JFA president.’The business plan needs bringing up to date and we have to produce a handbook and a yearbook together with getting our website up and running.’We are also bringing back the restructuring committee to look at the future of football in the Island and hopefully we will be able to report our findings back to the clubs at the end of this season.’Le Tissier’s departure has shocked GFA council delegates.Former GFA secretary and chief executive Dave Dorey criticised clubs for bickering over trivial matters and questioning the integrity of decisions made in good faith by officials.He also said it was sad that in the case of both the current chief executive and former executive officer Martyn Le Prevost that ‘neither were happy with what they were doing’, due to the pressure put on by and attitude of clubs.Le Tissier’s official line is that he is standing down purely due to the intrusion into his personal life.He said: ‘I have a two-year-old son which I’ve hardly seen in the last year.
My wife made a great sacrifice to allow me to do the job which I’ve been unable to repay.
It is purely down to the number of hours, mostly unsociable, that made me consider my decision.’Le Noury, who is to stand aside at the next GFA annual meeting for health reasons, said Le Tissier will be very difficult to replace.’He’s got on so, so well and we were so lucky to get a replacement of his calibre to take over from Martyn Le Prevost.
I really appreciate what he’s done for us in the past year.’As for his own role in football, Le Noury, president for almost two complete decades, said he has been considering his position for some time.’It is entirely due to health.
I’d rather not carry on and only be able do half the job.’It is right that someone else comes in who’s 100% fit.’Magpies Football Club will have a new manager next season as current boss Ian Golding is relinquishing the position at the end of this season.
Article posted on 9th March, 2004 - 12.00am
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