Pat Cullinane , organiser of the annual Primary Schools’ Festival of Football at Easter, said: ‘I think it’s brilliant we’ve got such an attractive fixture and I believe it’s the first time an international football match will have been played in the Island.’It’s a wonderful scoop for Jersey and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that the public and the footballing fraternity in the Island will come out and support the game.””It should be a fine spectacle and an outstanding item in Jersey’s football history.’The English Schools’ Football Association are celebrating their centenary this year and they will be holding further Home international matches during the weeks at other Football Festivals around England.Jersey is one of only two Primary Schools’ Festivals that are held in England regularly and this year’s event in Jersey will be the 30th.Cullinane said that the idea of an international being played in Jersey was first mooted last Easter when ESFA vice-chairman Phil Harding, (who is now chairman) attended the Jersey Festival.’I was excited then and I’m really happy now that everything has fallen into place.
The flights and the hotel have been booked,’ said Cullinane.’There is still a lot to do and I’m looking forward to next week as ESFA chief executive John Read is coming to the Island to discuss the arrangements.’Both the Scotland and England squads will arrive in Jersey over the Easter weekend and they will stay at the Merton Hotel.
A kick-off time has still to be finalised.The ESFA will celebrate their Centenary with an England Schoolboy U18 XI playing a World XI at Villa Park on 8 May.
The game will be followed by a dinner and invitations have been forwarded to all County FAs, including the JFA, to which the Island’s Primary and Secondary schools’ football sections are affiliated.
