Shetland football team

Last updated

Shetland
Nickname(s) The Shelties, The Blues
Association Shetland Football Association
Head coachNeil Fenwick
Captain Erik Peterson
Home stadiumGilbertson Park, Lerwick, Shetland
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First colours
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Second colours
First international
2007 Flag of Orkney.svg  Orkney 2–3 Shetland  Flag of Shetland.svg
(Kirkwall, Orkney; 7 May 1919)
Biggest win
2007 Flag of Orkney.svg  Orkney 0–8 Shetland  Flag of Shetland.svg
(Kirkwall, Orkney; 30 July 2022)
Biggest defeat
2007 Flag of Orkney.svg  Orkney 7–1 Shetland  Flag of Shetland.svg
(Kirkwall, Orkney; 30 June 1972)

The Shetland football team represents the islands of Shetland, Scotland, in association football. It is not a member of FIFA or UEFA and is therefore not eligible to enter the World Cup or the European Championships. The team regularly competes in the Island Games, which it won in 2005, and has a strong rivalry with the representative team of Orkney. [1] [2] [3] This representative team should not be confused with Shetland FC, which was formed as a separate entity to compete during the mainland's winter season cup competitions - despite being separate entities, the teams share management staff and squad of players. [4]

Contents

Venues

Shetland normally play their home matches at Gilbertson Park (capacity unknown, highest attendance approximately 5,000, sometimes referred to as "the Gibbie") in Lerwick. Some matches, particularly friendlies, are occasionally played elsewhere, often at Seafield (Lerwick) or Harbison Park (Whalsay). They sometimes go on tour to play pre-season friendlies against Highland League clubs in July.

Competitions

Beginning in 1929, Shetland played biennial matches against the Faroe Islands. These were initially played for the Adam Shield (donated by a Glasgow shipbuilding firm) and later for the North Atlantic Cup. The logistics of this required a 14-hour trip by boat trip and a week-long stay for the visiting team. The last such friendly was played in 1990, the same year that the Faroes joined UEFA. [5]

Shetland are neither a national team nor do they participate in league competitions, so they do not have many regular games.

However, more recently, they have entered some of the cup competitions organized by the North Caledonian Football Association.

The latest most noticeable event to take place in Shetland was the 2005 Island Games: many of the group matches were played on pitches all around Shetland, and the final was at Gilbertson Park.

2005 Island Games

Match: Final

Shetland Islands 2 (0) V 0 (0) Guernsey

Time: 16:00 Date: Friday 15 July 2005 Venue: Gilbertson Park

Group 1 matches

Pos.TeamPlayedWonDrawLostForAgainstDiff.Points
1stShetland431081710
2nd Isle of Man 421112397
3rd Saaremaa 41215505
4th Åland 410347–33
5th Falkland Islands 4103316–133

Current squad

This is the squad that competed in the 2023 Milne Cup held in Shetland. [6]

Goalkeepers

Andrew Goodlad (Celtic), Rory Henderson (Scalloway)

Defenders

Lorne McNiven (Whitedale), Liam Flaws (Ness Utd), Josh Carroll (Spurs), James Farmer (c) (Ness Utd), Jack Clubb (Celtic).

Midfielders

Neil Laurenson (Whalsay), Declan Adamson (Ness Utd), Calvin Leask (Thistle), Brandon McKay (Spurs), James Aitken (Celtic), Harry Thomson (Ness Utd), Ronan Grant (Spurs).

Forwards

Sam Maver (Spurs), Finn Regan (Celtic).

Coaches Neil Fenwick (Manager), Richard Arthur (Coach), Bruce McCulloch (Coach), Craig Dinwoodie (GK Coach), Martin Leyland (Conditioning).

Notable players

Tournament records

Island Games record

Island Games record
YearRoundPositionGPWDLGSGA
Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg 1989 Group stage5th4004113
Flag of Aland.svg 1991 Group stage5th420278
Flag of the Isle of Wight.svg 1993 7th4103310
Flag of Gibraltar.svg 1995 Did not enter
Flag of Jersey.svg 1997 Group stage5th421146
Flag of Gotland.svg 1999 10th52031414
Flag of the Isle of Man.svg 2001 8th412167
Flag of Guernsey.svg 2003 7th5212108
Flag of Shetland.svg 2005 Champions1st5410101
Flag of Rhodes Island.svg 2007 Did not enter
Flag of Aland.svg 2009 Group stage13th411279
Flag of the Isle of Wight.svg 2011 Did not enter
Flag of Bermuda.svg 2013 Did not enter
Flag of Jersey.svg 2015 Fourth place4th5212105
Flag of Gotland.svg 2017 Group stage10th4103712
Flag of Gibraltar.svg 2019 [n 1] Fourth place4th410388
Flag of Guernsey.svg 2023 Group stage7th4301126
Total1 title12/16562272799107
  1. Not held football tournament (Replaced by 2019 Inter Games Football Tournament in Flag of Anglesey.svg  Anglesey).

North Atlantic Cup [8]

Note: 2 points for a win era.

YearPositionGPWDLGFGAGDPoints
1968–19732nd83141821-37

Milne Cup [9]

Including Kirkwall vs. Lerwick

LocationWDLGFGAGD
Flag of Shetland.svg 2007 Flag of Orkney.svg 1908–20205763923018446

Mitchell and Sutherland Shields [10]

Mitchell Shield

LocationWDLGFGAGD
Flag of Shetland.svg 2007 Flag of Orkney.svg 2006–2014900591049
  • 9 Mitchell shields wins

Sutherland Shield

LocationWDLGFGAGD
Flag of Shetland.svg 2007 Flag of Orkney.svg 2007, 2008, 201120121912
  • 2 Sutherland Shield wins

Selected International opponents

Last update: 26 July 2009
OpponentsMatchesWinDrawLossGFGAGDWin%
Flag of Aland.svg  Åland 410358−3025.00
Flag of the Falkland Islands.svg  Falkland Islands 110040+4100.00
Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg  Faroe Islands 2462163766−29025.00
Flag of Froya.svg  Frøya 110031+2100.00
Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar 430165+1075.00
Flag of Greenland.svg  Greenland 310297+2033.33
Flag of Guernsey.svg  Guernsey 320197+2066.67
Flag of Hitra.svg  Hitra Municipality 220062+4100.00
Flag of the Isle of Man.svg  Isle of Man 411259−4025.00
Flag of the Isle of Wight.svg  Isle of Wight 201102−2000.00
Flag of Jersey.svg  Jersey 200207−7000.00
Bandera de Menorca.svg  Menorca 101022+0000.00
2007 Flag of Orkney.svg  Orkney 8650432207156+51058.14
Saaremaa lipp.svg  Saare County 321064+2066.67
Western Isles Council Flag.svg  Western Isles 200214−3000.00
Flag of Anglesey.svg  Ynys Môn 4013210−8000.00

Honours

Non-FIFA competitions

Others titles

References

  1. "Shetland Shock to End: The 2005 Island Games ended with the biggest shock in island games football history". BBC Sport. 16 July 2005. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  2. "Football and hockey teams get ready to entertain Orkney rivals". The Shetland Times. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  3. Shields, Tom (22 July 2007). "Island Fling: Tom Shields investigates the very special rivalry between Orkney and Shetland". The Sunday Herald . Glasgow: Scottish Media Group.
  4. "Shetland Squad : Shetland Football". www.shetlandfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  5. When Shetland met Faroe and the real romance of the cup
  6. "Milne Cup 2023". www.shetlandtimes.co.uk.
  7. "Bray in US university hall of fame". shetlandtimes.co.uk.
  8. "North Atlantic Cup 1968-1973". RSSSF . Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  9. "Milne Cup". RSSSF . Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  10. "Mitchell and Sutherland Shields". RSSSF . Retrieved 4 July 2021.