IF all goes to plan, Jersey’s 1st XI footballers could be playing their next international tournament in the sunshine.

Following the success of the inaugural Jersey Football Association small nations competition at Springfield last month, both Gibraltar and Madeira say they are keen to share host duties on an annual or biennial basis. JFA president Ricky Weir is thrilled with the project’s potential, which could help put Jersey on the path to official Fifa recognition.

He said: ‘Through our association with FA chairman Geoff Thompson, I believe FIFA are aware of the tournament. He is helping to state our case in the hope that, at some stage, Jersey football might benefit from FIFA recognition, because that would give us a recognised competitive games programme.

Ultimately this was a friendly tournament – although the response has been marvellous, from local people who watched, and the players, as well as all the officials, and those from Gibraltar and Madeira, who have both made it very clear that they would like to repeat the tournament.’

• Picture:  The final match of last month’s tournament attracted a crowd of around 1,000 to Springfield