As one of the Channel Islands’ most famous footballing experts, the Southampton legend paid tribute to the investment made by the Premier League & FA Facilities Fund and hopes it can help more local youngsters improve their game.
A grant of £400,000 from the Fund was provided to make the project at Springfield Stadium in St Helier a possibility, with FA Council Leader Barry Bright present to open the facility.
The new pitch at the Springfield Stadium in St Helier, Jersey
"Jersey now has a high quality 3G playing surface that will enable young grassroots players, as well as the wider local community, to play football all-year round, which is why these types of facility are so vital," said Le Tissier, who was born on the neighbouring island of Guernsey.
"I’ve seen myself, the excellent 3G pitch facilities that the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, delivered by the Football Foundation, is developing right across the country.
"Clearly playing football on these types of surface is going to be a far more attractive prospect for youngsters than on a quagmire, so they do help to get more people playing the game purely for the pleasure of doing so, which can only be a good thing.
"So who knows, we may see a few more talented youngsters developed in the Channel Islands as a result.
"The States of Jersey, Jersey FA and everyone that has worked hard to make this project a reality deserve huge credit for what they’ve achieved."
Situated at the home of the Jersey FA, the previous grass pitch at the venue was prone to waterlogging and restricted to just 50 matches a season.
But with the new facility, the St Helier area now possesses a high quality, all-weather surface that can be used all year round and it's estimated that it will be used by over 1,000 local people per week.
"It was an honour to be in Jersey to officially open the excellent new 3G pitch at Springfield Stadium," said Bright.
"The second report from The FA Chairman's England Commission stressed the importance of investing in grassroots facilities, supporting coach development and avoiding participation decline amongst 16-21-year-olds and this is the perfect example of how football’s governing bodies are working together to tackle the issues highlighted by the Commission.
"The high-quality playing surface will enable football participation at the site to increase significantly and provide a venue for FA coach education courses, ensuring a sustainable future for football in Jersey."
The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund is funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government, via Sport England. It is delivered by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity.
