Footes Lane

We're sad to see you go, Shane! Thank you for everything you have done here at Footes Lane. Enjoy retirement 🙂

The women’s and men’s Muratti is on tomorrow (Saturday 13th May) at the Garenne Stand pitch.

As a result, Footes Lane will be closed to traffic from 11am until 8pm from the Garenne Stand main gate to the College Memorial Playing Field. Access to the Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre will be from Les Varendes.

If you are coming down to support, please use active transport or car share where possible, as parking will be limited.

Good luck Guernsey!

On your marks, get set… Go!

The track has now been cleaned and re-lined, ready for the Natwest Island Games Guernsey2023 in July.

Thanks to the team for getting the job done ahead of schedule.

Anyone out there called Nick S and lost an ID tag? It was left at Footes Lane over the weekend and we want to return it to its owner.

Please note our track and infield will be closed from Monday 1st - Sunday 14th August to permit track cleansing and relining ahead of the NatWest International Island Games taking place next year.

Ahead of the NatWest International Island Games next year Footes Lane Track & Infield will be closed to the public from Monday 1st - Sunday 14th August inclusive.

The works to the track include track cleansing and relining in time for the games next July. All key stakeholders have been informed and no bookings have been taken for this period.

Footes Lane remains closed to the public for the foreseeable future due to the current Public Health advice in regards to COVID-19.

We will provide a further update when we know we will be re-opening to gates to the public.

NEWS: Double Header at Footes Lane marks Refurbishment Completion

This week sees the completion of a 19 week long project at Footes Lane which has brought about changes that will benefit a number of community user groups with the privilege of hosting the Island Games 2021 just around the corner.

Discussions within our project team began back in February of 2016 but the Track Refurbishment project at Footes Lane has been ongoing since Monday 22nd April 2019, with physical works beginning on site on Monday 20th May 2019. The works are part of a programme that has taken considerable time and effort from the entire project team to deliver to this point.

The project team were pleased to see the Track Refurbishment project delivered on time. Despite a number of challenging conditions, the contractor has been working 12 hour shifts to ensure the facility will be handed back to the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture (CfESC) this week ahead of two high profile sports fixtures this coming weekend. With regards to cost, discussions with the contractor are yet to be concluded in relation to the final account, but it is currently expected that the project will be delivered within budget.

Guernsey Raiders play their second home game on Saturday afternoon at 2.30pm, after playing their first home game on the first XV’s second pitch last month. Guernsey FC are also in action in their first home game of the season which is played on Sunday against VCD Athletic who are kicking off at the earlier time of 12 noon.

The project to extend the track to eight lanes for the full 400 metres was complemented by a number of other improvements to the current facilities. These included:
- A full replacement and extension of the old ‘porous’ track surface with a non-porous ‘sandwich’ type surface – a step which will improve performance and help future maintenance requirements.
- Relocating the current steeplechase jump to the inside of the track;
- Relining of the newly laid surface with markings for the required competition and desired practice events for Athletics.
- Relocating the metal pedestrian barriers and pavement around the outside of the track and installing a retaining wall along the 200 metre bend;
- Replacing the old hammer discus throwing cage with a world leading Thor competition cage; the old cage has been relocated for use as a training facility.
- Installation of a competition shot put circle in front of the stand.
- Improvements to the services and drainage provisions to and from the infield grass
pitch.
- Installation of an artificial grass margin alongside the edges of the infield.

Matt Fallaize, President of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture said “we have been very impressed by the work ethic of Agripower, and their sub-contractors they have worked alongside to deliver this project on time. We were pleased to see the appointment of many local sub-contractors and suppliers in the refurbishment works and I was personally pleased to see the environment considered as the project progressed. This included the 110 tonnes of existing track surface being removed and transported to the UK for recycling rather than it going to landfill”.

The CfESC remained aware of the importance of completing of the refurbishment works on time so not as to further disrupt the league fixtures of Guernsey Football Club and Guernsey Rugby. Both clubs have worked closely with CfESC to accommodate the delivery of this project within their programmes, liaising with league organisers to ensure minimal disruption to their first league games at the beginning of their 2019/2010 seasons. The Committee is pleased that both clubs will be returning to Footes Lane this weekend and wish them both well for the season ahead.

The CfESC hope that those who haven’t yet witnessed the distinctive new colour of the finished surface will be impressed when they next visit the facility.

This marks the end of phase one of the project. Phase two of the project will encompass additional work scheduled to take place in 2020. This phase of work will look at maintenance and improvements to the Garenne Stand, including works to the roof; the installation of an accessible viewing platform within the main stand; and a complete refurbishment to the main toilet block on level one to improve accessibility options for supporters visiting the facility.

Work here at Footes Lane 'On Track'

The track replacement project at Footes Lane has be ongoing since Monday 20th May. The contractors have been progressing well over the past 57 days with works to complete a full replacement and extension of the current track surface expected to take a further 10 weeks. Completion is scheduled at the start of October 2019.

As the Island Games in Gibraltar have drawn to a close all eyes now turn to Guernsey who will host the next inter island competition. Footes Lane will play a key role in a number of events during the games and as a result we are pleased to report with an update of works that have been completed on site to date.

- Approximately 100 tons of existing track surface has been removed and transported to the UK for recycling.

- The existing pedestrian fencing and macadam to pathways and kerb edgings on south and east sides of track has been removed. The timber fence adjacent to Hockey Pavilion has also been relocated. Both enabling the extension of the full 400 metre track from six lanes to eight lanes.

- All of the existing surface water gutters around the track have been removed ready for replacements systems due to be installed later in the project.

- The existing hammer throwing cage has been removed and the foundations installed for the new throwing cage.

- A new shot-put circle has been installed in the southern D

- The turf and soil adjacent to either side of the infield has been removed to enable the installation of the artificial turf margin

- The excavation of the existing steeplechase water jump and hurdle has also taken place. The old water jump pit has been filled in and a new steeplechase water jump and hurdle will shortly be installed within the northern D.

Moving forwards the project team will be:

- Constructing a small retaining wall adjacent to the Hockey Pavilion.

- Installing replacement metal fencing.

- Taking delivery of track materials in advance of the track surface laying team who are due to arrive on island in August, followed by the line marking specialists in September.

‪Work is progressing well here at Footes Lane as we plan to lift up the last bits of track at the end of this week once the Guernsey Island Games Association (GIGA) athletes finish their training ahead of Gibraltar 2019 Island Games. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for further updates!‬

Press Release - Monday 13th May

Following approval to replace the current athletics track at Footes Lane with a full 400m eight-lane athletics track, and following a detailed tendering exercise, the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture has now appointed a contractor for this work. The track, infield and some of the surrounding land will be handed over to the contractor to start on site on Monday 20 May following the final big event of the football season – the 2019 Muratti. Footes Lane is scheduled to re-open at the beginning of October 2019.

The President of the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture, Deputy Matt Fallaize, is looking forward to the work commencing. Deputy Fallaize said:

“A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to make this important project a reality. We have worked closely with the main users of the facility to try and ensure they are inconvenienced as little as possible, although we are aware that with any project of this size and scope there are bound to be areas of give and take.”

Footes is the only athletics track of its kind on the Island. The CfESC has worked closely with the contractor to allow four lanes of the 100m home straight to continue to be available for high level competitors prior to the athletes departing to compete in this year’s Island Games in Gibraltar. Tom Druce, Athletics Development Officer said:

“Guernsey Athletics are pleased to be involved in this major project with the CfESC, which will ultimately offer some real tangible benefits for athletes of all ages. Replacing and upgrading the track will make it a truly inspirational venue – and extending the track to eight lanes increases the training opportunities for athletes, in particular the growing number of young people embracing the sport – making it a great facility for not only them – but for future generations as well. We’re also really pleased that current high level athlete training needs have been taken into account as part of the project plan, prior to this year’s Island Games”.

In addition, Guernsey FC and Guernsey Raiders have assisted greatly in the planning stages of the project, liaising with league organisers to ensure minimum disruption at the beginning of the 2019/2020 season for both sports, prior to the facility’s scheduled re-opening at the beginning of October 2019. The CfESC is fully aware of the importance of allowing football and rugby to use the pitch as soon as possible in the autumn and therefore of the project running to schedule and is committed to assisting the sports as far as possible in the event of any unforeseen disruption.

Athletics continues to be a popular Island sport with a long history of hosting competitors from outside the Island, with the new track surface being installed and ready for the 2021 Natwest Island Games. Although it was recoated in 2001 and 2013, the current track surface has been largely untouched since originally being laid in 1991, and this project is primarily a response to this well-used sports facility nearing its ‘end-of-life’.

Work required to extend the track to eight lanes for the full 400metres, as well as improve the current facilities, will include:

- A full replacement and extension of the current ‘porous’ track surface with a non-porous ‘sandwich’ type surface – helping with future maintenance requirements and performance;

- Relocating the current steeplechase jump to the inside of the track;

- Relocating the metal pedestrian barriers and pavement around the outside of the track and installing a retaining wall along the 200metre bend;

- Replacing the old throwing cage; and

- Installing a competition shot put circle in front of the stand.

In addition, other works will benefit all users of the facilities, and include improvements to the drainage from the infield grass pitch as well as the installation of an artificial grass margin alongside the edges of the infield.

Although the track replacement phase of the project is scheduled for completion later this year, phase two of the project will encompass additional work scheduled to take place in 2020. This will look to maintain and improve the Garenne stand, including works to the roof; the installation of an accessible viewing platform within the main stand; and a complete refurbishment to the main toilet block on level one to improve accessibility options.

Further updates will be posted to this page as and when they become available and when the project progresses.

🏉 Guernsey Raiders vs Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club
🗓️ Saturday 20th October
⏰ 7:30pm
🇬🇬 FootesLane, Guernsey
🍺 Bar open from 4:30pm
🍔 Slaw Burgers on sale
☕️ Hot drinks from the team