Football Fans Pack Victoria Park for Opening Weekend!
The sun shone and over 2,000 visitors packed the stands for Victoria Park’s grand opening on Saturday, while hundreds of young players enjoyed a bumper day of football fun on Sunday.
Victoria Park welcomed a new era of football in Guernsey on Saturday when His Excellency The Lieutenant-Governor officially opened Guernsey’s new home of football during a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. Set to a backdrop of music provided by talented young musicians from SOPM, 2,207 eager football fans then poured through the turnstiles to watch Guernsey FC take on Westfield FC at their new home ground.
The Green Lions put on a brave performance to draw 1-1 against the Woking side. However, the highlight of the match was an electrifying penalty served up by GFC captain Ross Allen, just before the half-time whistle. While pints were poured and burgers were flipped at Nutmeg, the crowds were kept entertained for the 15-minute interval by a squad of Aztech Year 4s who beautifully showcased their soccer skills. For now, Guernsey FC remains unbeaten at Victoria Park and has undoubtedly won an army of new fans, who were in fine voice cheering and ‘clapping’ the team on throughout the thrilling 90 minutes.
“Guernsey FC may have set the scene on Saturday, but on Sunday, grassroots players took centre stage.”
Guernsey FC may have set the scene on Saturday, but grassroots players took centre stage on Sunday. The Wildcats brought the energy and goals in the morning with a Girls’ Community Football Festival, while the afternoon kicked off with the first-ever Victoria Park Boys’ Football Festival. For many youngsters, it was their first run-out onto Victoria Park’s elite 3G pitch, and will hopefully be the first of many.
Nick Graham, Chair of Victoria Park Steering Committee, said: “We really couldn’t have hoped for a better weekend to celebrate Victoria Park’s opening. The weather was perfect and the community turned out in force to support us throughout the weekend. Victoria Park is a community hub with football at its heart, and the events on both days really showed that in all its glory.”
“Hopefully, this weekend has given everyone the best possible introduction to Victoria Park, and we look forward to welcoming many more islanders through its gates as we embark on this exciting new chapter for Guernsey football.”
For more information on Victoria Park, visit our website www.victoriapark.gg and keep an eye on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
