Football in the Isle of Man | |
---|---|
Country | Isle of Man |
Governing body | Isle of Man Football Association |
National team(s) | Men's official national team Ellan Vannin football team |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
International competitions | |
Football has been played in the Isle of Man since the end of the 19th century. The national association was founded in 1890 [1] and oversees all aspects of association football on the island. The association is responsible for organising all national cup competitions, most notably the Isle of Man FA Cup, and the management of the Isle of Man Football League.
Although, as a Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man is not a part of the United Kingdom, the local Isle of Man football association is affiliated with the English FA, and acts as a County Football Association. Due to their affiliation with the English FA, the Isle of Man are not members of FIFA or UEFA and are therefore not eligible to enter either the World Cup or European Championship. The Isle of Man therefore is limited to different forms of competition.
Since 2019 F.C. Isle of Man have competed within the English football league system, starting in the NWCFL Division One South – although due to COVID restrictions on the Isle of Man, did not take part in the 2020–21 season - their first full season was the 2021-22 season.
The Isle of Man Football League is the national football league for teams of the island. The league has two levels consisting of 13 teams each, the Premier League and Division Two. The league is organised by the Isle of Man Football Association but the winning team(s) cannot enter the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League, due to the island's lack of membership.
As well as the league, there are also many domestic cups in the Isle of Man:
The Isle of Man is not a member of UEFA or FIFA so the national team cannot enter the European Football Championships qualifiers or the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The island meets the criteria needed for membership to UEFA, but not much interest has ever been announced. As with the other Crown Dependencies, the Isle of Man Football Association has county status within The Football Association.
The Isle of Man official football team is a representative team of Isle of Man Football Association players and tends to play small-scale matches against other non-FIFA teams. They are also quite successful in the Island Games, winning silver on three occasions. The team play their home games at The Bowl in Douglas.
In 2013 an alternative national side, the Ellan Vannin football team, composed of Manx players only. The team was created to allow entry into the ConIFA World Cup.
Stadium | Capacity | City |
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King George V Bowl | 3,327 | Douglas |
The Football Association or the FA is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory.
The Double, in association football, is the achievement of winning a country's top tier division and its primary domestic cup competition in the same season. The lists in this article examine this definition of a double, while derivative sections examine much less frequent, continental instances. The Double can also mean beating a team both home and away in the same league season, a feat often noted as doing the double over a particular opponent.
The Scottish Amateur Football Association (SAFA) is the organising body for amateur football across Scotland. An affiliate of the Scottish Football Association, the SAFA has in turn 50 regional associations affiliated to it and some 67 different league competitions organised by these associations. There is estimated to be over 35,000 amateur footballers in Scotland, and all of their competitions are co-ordinated at some level by the Scottish Amateur Football Association. The SAFA was formed in 1909 with the purpose of legislating for and fostering the amateur level of football in Scotland.
Association football is organised on a separate basis in each of the four constituent countries that make up the United Kingdom (UK), with each having a national football association responsible for the overall management of football within their respective country. There is no United Kingdom national football team. Football has been the most popular sport in the UK since the 1860s. Rugby union, rugby league and cricket are other popular sports.
The Isle of Man Football Association, also simply known as the Isle of Man FA or the IOMFA, is the body that co-ordinates and organises the sport of football on the Isle of Man. Although, as a Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man is not a part of the United Kingdom, the local FA is affiliated with the English FA, and acts as a County Football Association.
The Isle of Man Representative County football team is the IOMFA football team of the Isle of Man and is controlled by the Isle of Man Football Association. The team plays in a yellow and red home kit and an all navy blue away kit.
The Gibraltar men's national football team represents Gibraltar in international football competitions, and is controlled by the Gibraltar Football Association. Gibraltar applied for full Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) membership and was accepted by the UEFA Congress in May 2013. It can therefore compete in the UEFA European Championship starting with the 2016 tournament for which the team competed in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group D. On 13 May 2016 Gibraltar became a member of FIFA at the governing body's 66th Congress which was held in Mexico City. Gibraltar is the second smallest UEFA member in terms of population and the smallest in terms of area.
The Jersey Football Association (JFA) is the body which co-ordinates football in Jersey. The Jersey FA acts as a County football association of The Football Association, although in 2015 it applied to join UEFA as a full member. The Jersey Football Combination is overseen by the Jersey FA, as is the Jersey official football team.
The Jersey official football team represents the British Crown Dependency of Jersey in non-FIFA international matches.
The Guernsey official football team is the official football team representing the island of Guernsey in non-FIFA international football matches. It is not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA, and therefore cannot compete for the FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Football Championship.
Football is the most popular sport in the Faroe Islands, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. 60% of those who play sport on the islands play football. Football in the Faroe Islands is governed by the Faroe Islands Football Association, and it is a member of UEFA and FIFA, despite not being a sovereign state.
Football has been a popular part of sport in Gibraltar since its introduction by British military personnel in the 19th century. The Gibraltar Football Association, founded in 1895, is one of the ten oldest active football associations in the world.
Association football is the most popular and the national sport of Greenland. It was brought to Greenland by Danish settlers. Because of the climatic conditions, Greenland is unable to support any grass pitches so games are played on artificial turf. The national stadium is the Nuuk Stadium in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk. There is a proposal to replace Nuuk Stadium with a new stadium, named Arktisk Stadion.
The Isle of Man League 2007–08 was the ninety-ninth such league competition on the Isle of Man.
The Ellan Vannin Football Team is a football team that represents the Isle of Man. It is not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA, and therefore cannot compete for the FIFA World Cup or in the UEFA European Championship.
The Isle of Man Division 2 is the second division of the Isle of Man Football League and the second highest in the Isle of Man Football League System. The winners and the runners-up of division 2 get promoted to the Isle of Man Premier League, with the two bottom football clubs from the Premier League relegated to division 2. The league is overseen by the Isle of Man Football Association.
Football Club Isle of Man is an amateur football club based in Douglas, Isle of Man, that competes in the North West Counties League Premier Division, the 9th tier of English football. The club was founded in 2019 but did not play its first competitive match until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. F.C. Isle of Man plays their home games at The Bowl in Douglas and covers the costs of visiting clubs' and match officials' travel and hotel expenses for the games.