Jersey v Nottingham
Saturday 8th February, K-O 3pm
The following info has been prepared for supporters who
will be coming over to support Nottingham this
weekend.
Dear Notts Supporters
All at Jersey RFC are looking forward to welcoming you to Jersey
ahead of our game in the Greene King IPA Championship. To help your
trip go as smoothly as possible, here is some info to assist you.
We hope your visit to JRFC will be part of a really enjoyable
weekend.
FRIDAY NIGHT
The club will be open on Friday evening before the game. A good
chance to meet some 'native' supporters, engage in some pre-match
banter, have a 'recce' of the ground, visit the club shop and pick
up your tickets for the game the next day. The Barclays Pavilion
will be open between 5.30 and 7.30pm, the Liberation Ale will be
tapped and Sean the Club Manager will be providing free
nibbles.
PRE-MATCH ON SATURDAY
There is a pre-match lunch on the day for members, sponsors and
corporate guests in the Clubhouse. Nottingham representatives have
been invited through the official channels, but beyond this we're
afraid lunch is sold out. As a result, the Clubhouse is only
available (pre-match) to the 200 lunch guests.
The Pavilion Bar adjacent to the Clubhouse will be open to all
supporters from 12noon, offering full bar, including locally-brewed
Liberation Ale on handpump, plus food such as 'special of the day',
'posh dogs', pasties, burgers etc. It gets pretty busy in the hour
leading up to kick-off. Other mobile units around the ground will
also be serving food and drink, including the almost legendary Pork
van.
There are various other 'off-site' options, the first of which is
the neighbouring Jersey Bowl which backs onto the club and does a
good trade in pre-match rugby lunches (and Liberation Ale!) and
tables can be booked there. Another 150 yards away you can indulge
your inner plane spotter at the Jersey Aero Club, overlooking the
runway.
There are three pubs within walking distance of the ground. Two are
in St Peter's Village: the Star & Tipsy Toad and the St Peter's
Inn, although they're not particularly 'rugby pubs' as such and are
probably 15 minutes walk away. We got some decent feedback from
some fans about the Star, and there's a betting shop next door.
General de Gaulle had a swift half in the St Peter's in 1940 en
route to an important meeting with Winston Churchill in London. Or
there's the Mermaid opposite the airport and adjacent to the
Lakeside Manor Care Home (5 minutes walk from the Club).
Other pre-match options might be some of the restaurants in St
Aubin which is a 5-minute taxi ride away. The Boathouse is one
venue that offers transport up to the club, and the Salty Dog,
Cheffins & Old Court House have a rugby lunch as well, while in
nearby St Brelade the Oyster Box & Sugar Reef have a similar
pre-match option, as does the Prince of Wales in Greve de Lecq. But
a booking at any restaurant and a 2.15 taxi should work fine.
THE MATCH
For the match itself Ground Admission is £15, or £5 for full-time
students with suitable ID. Under 17s are free, proof-of-age is
required. Sorry, but there's no senior citizen concession. It's a
good idea to arrive at least 30-40 minutes before the off. Our
small stand is fully subscribed, with the exception of seats for
the invited officials as above. For those with particularly severe
mobility issues, JRFC will try and help out with vacant stand
seats, but these are at a premium and can't be guaranteed. We have
allocated two tiered benches for anyone who has difficulty in
standing for long periods of time. Please call the club on 01534
499929 between 10am and 1pm Thursday or Friday if you need to
arrange a seat.
While the game won't sell out (the ground capacity is approx 5,000)
visiting supporters can purchase tickets in advance to avoid
match-day queues. Tickets can be obtained on Friday at the club, or
match-day sales commence at 12noon
There's not a great deal of space under cover (standing or seating)
at St Peter, so it's wise to have warm/ waterproof gear in case of
inclement weather, and some sensible footwear. We'd recommend
Jersey Met Office, www.jerseymet.gov.je - their five-day forecast
is published daily at 9am.
MATCH PROGRAMME
Did anyone buy a programme when they came to Jersey last year?
Rubbish, wasn't it?! We're pleased to say that our programme has
had a total revamp. Please give it a second chance - we think
you'll like it!
SIX NATIONS
Both the Clubhouse and Pavilion have TV sets. Hopefully most people
will be too busy watching the 'main event' in the flesh to worry
about Ireland v Wales (k-o 2.30pm). But it will be on for those who
want it, and then at 5pm England's game at Murrayfield will be
shown.
POST-MATCH
In recent seasons we have had difficulty accommodating everyone in
the Clubhouse after the match. Therefore, and to begin with, access
will once again be limited to players, officials, JRFC members and
anyone in possesion of a wrist-band. Ideally, we do not want to
exclude anyone from the clubhouse and, as soon as we are below our
fire limit, we will let all supporters in, typically at around 6pm.
The Pavilion bar stays open all afternoon from 12noon to approx
7pm. Normally things start to wind down between 7pm and 8pm, when
people head for St Aubin or St Helier.
TRANSPORT
For those flying in/out on the day (the last flight to Gatwick is
5.55pm), the ground is less than 10 minutes walk from the airport.
A taxi to/from the ground to town (St Helier) will be around £15.
Or there's the No 9 bus to/from St Helier (£1.70) which stops
outside the ground or the number 15 to the Airport (also £1.70; get
off at the penultimate stop, The Mermaid, and it's a 5-minute
walk). Return bus times will be posted at the main gate on the day
of the match or you can visit www.libertybus.je . If you have
a car, there is free parking available close to the ground, but
traffic can be busy so please allow lots of time.
NEWS ABOUT THE GAME
The Jersey Evening Post will have a match preview on
Friday (on sale from 12.30pm) while Saturday's edition (on sale
from 7am) will have the four-page Inside Centre rugby pull-out. A
full preview will be posted on Jersey's website www.jrfc.je on
Thursday, with team news on Friday at 12noon and the latest news is
on Twitter - twitter.com/jerseyrfc or
Facebook.
MOBILE PHONES
We've had feedback from some visiting supporters who have received
large phone bills on their return from the Island because the
small-print on their tariffs didn't include Jersey, leading to
higher call/ roaming/ data charges. If you're in doubt about this,
it might be a good idea to check out your phone contract in
advance, or use the phone sparingly.
Finally, we hope you have an enjoyable trip to Jersey and look
forward to your company.
Jersey RFC
February 2014
