NORTH VS RANGERS

BWCI Festival of Football 2021

The 2021 BWCI Festival of Football was held over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of July, with over 300 children from Guernsey participating in 141 matches across the weekend.

The 2021 edition of the Festival saw a similar format to 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but once again the Festival served to illustrate why it remains a highlight in the local sporting calendar, with so many children participating across the weekend. In the U10 (Year 5) competition, teams competed for the BWCI Shield and the BWCI Plate on the final day.

Over the course of the weekend, hundreds of spectators saw some fantastic team and individual performances, culminating in the BWCI Shield Final being played between Guernsey Rangers and Rihoy North. Guernsey Rangers eventually won the final 2-0, with one particularly outstanding goal from distance, a rasping shot which left the Rihoy North goalkeeper absolutely no chance of making a save. After the conclusion of the group matches and semi-finals, the BWCI Plate competition saw Guernsey Rovers play Bodyline St. Martins in the Final, Bodyline St. Martins won by one goal to nil in a close game with both teams playing some fantastic football.

Following the conclusion of the Festival, Martyn Banton (Festival Chair) commented that;

“Once again, the BWCI Festival has been a fantastic event for hundreds of people, not only the children participating, but the coaches, match officials, spectators and everyone else involved in the Festival. As always, we are indebted to the Festival’s headline sponsor, BWCI, who have now sponsored this event for fifteen years, because without this support, an event of this stature simply could not be delivered.

It is this continued support, which is greatly appreciated by the Guernsey Football Association, that ensures that the Festival remains one of the highlights of the local sporting calendar. In addition there are numerous other people that I would like to place on record our gratitude to, including the match officials that gave up their time over the weekend, Simon Charlwood for his continued support, the volunteer coaches from our local clubs who gave up their time, and finally to the GFA staff and Directors who have spent a considerable amount of time planning and delivering another successful Festival.”

The dates for the 2022 BWCI Festival are to be confirmed and we are hopeful that we can invite visiting teams.