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Condor Ferries said it is working on adjusted timetables for next year, with additional day-trips between the islands, to enable sports fixtures to go ahead.
The ferry firm said sports teams and individuals will benefit from the changes and that it has been working with the Guernsey Sports Commission and Jersey Sport to ensure the correct changes are made.
The sailings include Guernsey to Jersey on Sunday 10 March and Saturday 6 April with return trips on Sunday 24 March and Sunday 12 May to enable day long events in Guernsey.
The news has been welcomed by a group set up in Guernsey to campaign for improved transport links for sports groups. STAG had told Express in January that it was formed after Economic Development's plan to cut the sports and arts funding from its overall budget was revealed toward the end of 2017. That idea was scrapped soon after, but it left those involved in the industries concerned.
David Piesing, the former Guernsey Cricket board chairman, was responsible for setting up STAG, and at the time he said the idea came about as a direct result of the social media reaction to the announced cuts. He is now among those supporting the planned day trips.
Excellent news for CI sport @GsySTAG https://t.co/SATkAC2RRk
— David Piesing (@DavidPiesing63) April 13, 2018
Condor said it was too late to change the 2018 schedules but said that it hopes that with this much notice the different sports groups will be able to adjust their 2019 fixture schedules to take advantage of the sailings.
Condor Ferries' Chief Executive Paul Luxon said: "We take our responsibility as the main ferry provider in the islands very seriously, supporting the local and visitor economies, so are pleased to be able to help the sporting community through these dedicated sailings next year, all of which can be booked from the end of April.
"The working relationship with Jersey Sport, the Guernsey Sports Commission and the Sports Tourism Action Group has been very positive and we hope to build on these partnerships and further develop inter-island sporting links."
Mr Piesing added: “The four dates that Condor have come up with so far for 2019 will be a massive help in reinvigorating inter-insulars with lots of spectators now also able to travel to support their respective teams, just like they used to in the past.
“Additional dates may well be added later in the summer but in order for this very welcome and much needed offering to be sustainable it is vital that sports bodies in both islands buy into it and give it their full support. Condor are going out of their way here to amend their schedules to help Channel Islands sport, and they have been keen to do this for quite some time. The Guernsey Sports Commission and the new team at Jersey Sport will work closely together and also with the sports bodies in each island to try to ensure that it is a roaring success.”
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