>But because the team is in the English FA and is NOT given the FA
>exemption a Member of the British Parliament put through a request that
>the half of the field, club house and stands that are attached to the
>Chester stadium and are in Wales be included as England.
Unfortunately, I can't find any evidence in Hansard (the proceedings of the
UK Parliament) that the border has been changed, or even that it's ever
been debated. Most of the websites referring to the Deva Stadium also think
most of it is still located in Wales.
In any case, I can't understand why there would be any need to change the
border as there are many examples of football teams located in the
jurisdiction of one national association, playing competitions under the
jurisdiction of the other (Wales, Scotland, Liechtenstein and San Marino to
mention just a few). I therefore suspect this was some sort of publicity
stunt on the part of the local MP.
This said, surely the stadium isn't an enclave either way? It's either a
property split between two jurisdictions, or a 'penisula' of one
jurisdiction extending into another (I'm sure Mike will know the correct
nomenclature to use ;-))
>England, Wales, Scotland and NIreland are all countries in Great Britain.
Without wishing to appear pedantic ;-), Northern Ireland is not actually
part of Great Britain (which just refers to the main island), although it
is (currently) part of the UK.
>The United Kingdom makes up all the little islands like the BVI,
>Falklands,Rockall, Pitcairns etc, including GB.
It's important to note that the UK only comprises England, Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland, and not the Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Jersey and
the Isle of Man), nor any of the British Overseas Territories. Although the
UK government is responsible for foreign policy and defence of the latter
entities, most are self-governing and are really separate states for most
practical purposes.
>If a UK citizen is born in one of the 4 'home' countries then he has to
>play in that country.
FYI, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are also directly affiliated to
the English FA, so their citizens are eligible to represent England (e.g.
Graham Le Saux and Matthew Le Tissier).
Regards,
Kevin Meynell