Sealand national football team

Last updated
Sealand
Sealand Coat of Arms.svg
Nickname(s) Seals
Association Sealand National Football Association
(SNFA)
ConfederationNone
Captain Ed Stubbs
Most caps Christian Gunn
Jack Field
Sam Churchman (8)
Top scorerDan Hughes (6)
Home stadium Broadfield Stadium
FIFA code N/A
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
First colours
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Second colours
First international
Flag of Aland.svg  Åland 2–2 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg
(Åland; 15 May 2004)
Biggest win
Flag of Raetia.svg  Raetia 1–6 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg
(Chur, Switzerland; 9 August 2014)
Biggest defeat
Flag of Occitania (with star).svg  Occitania 8–0 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg
(St John's, Isle of Man; 5 July 2013)

The Sealand national football team represents the unrecognized, self-proclaimed micronation of the Principality of Sealand. It is not a member of FIFA or UEFA, but was an associate member of the N.F.-Board, an organisation for teams who are not members of FIFA. They were admitted to the N.F.-Board as a provisional member in 2005 and as an associate member in 2006, before the organisation became defunct in 2013. The team has been inactive since 2014, although discussions are underway to revive the team as of April 2023. [1]

Contents

History

Wey Court where Sealand played their first game after reforming in 2012 against the Chagos Islands national football team. Godalming Town FC Wey Court.jpg
Wey Court where Sealand played their first game after reforming in 2012 against the Chagos Islands national football team.

Foundation

The Sealand National Football Association (SNFA) was founded in 2003. [2] In 2004, they played their first game against Åland drawing 2–2. [3] All the players on the Sealand team were members of Vestbjerg Vintage Idrætsforening, a veterans side from Aalborg. However, the Danish-based SNFA ended their activities in 2006 and Sealand football took a break.

Recent times

On 23 December 2009, Scottish author Neil Forsyth was appointed head of the revived SNFA. [4] [5] He stated a goal of participation in the 2010 VIVA World Cup, a dream ultimately ended by a lack of finance. On 5 May 2012, Sealand took to the field against fellow N.F.-Board members the Chagos Islands at Weycourt in Godalming, Surrey. The Chagossians won 3–1, with Ryan Moore scoring for Sealand. The team was captained by former Bolton Wanderers defender Simon Charlton and actor Ralf Little. [5] [6] [7]

Sealand played an away game against Alderney on 25 August 2012. [8] After drawing the match by a scoreline of 1–1, Sealand won 5–4 on penalties. On 9 March 2013 Sealand won their first ever international when they beat Alderney 2–1 in Godalming.

Sealand competed in the Tynwald Hill Tournament on the Isle of Man in July 2013. The tournament was held at Mullen-e-Cloie, St John's. Following a late 5–3 defeat to Tamil Eelam and an 8–0 demolition at the hands of eventual winners Occitania, Sealand finished bottom of their group and went on to the 5th place playoff where they beat Alderney 2–1.

In February 2014 Sealand recorded their record win as they beat the Chagos Islands 4–2 in Godalming. [9]

In May 2014 Sealand drew 1–1 with the Chagos Islands at Crawley Town a fortnight before another draw, 2–2 with Somaliland (who were making their non-FIFA debut) in London.

Sealand underwent a European tour for the first time in August 2014 which proved to be hugely successful. In Chur a record 6–1 win over Raetia saw Dan Hughes become the record-scorer with 4 goals, before a 3–2 win over Seborga in Ospedaletti, Italy. Hughes added to his tally in that game and the Seals extended their unbeaten international run to 6 games. [10]

Sealand has not been a member of a confederation since the N.F.-Board became defunct. An application to join CONIFA was rejected. [11]

Overall record

OpponentPldWD*LGFGA% Won% Drawn% Lost
Flag of Aland.svg  Åland 1010220%100%0%
Flag of Alderney.svg  Alderney 32105366.7%33.33%0%
Flag of CSSC.svg  Chagos Islands 31116633.33%33.33%33.33%
Flag of Raetia.svg Raetia 110061100%0%0%
Flag of the Principality of Seborga.svg Seborga 110032100%0%0%
Flag of Somaliland.svg  Somaliland 1010220%100%0%
Bicolor flag of Tamil Eelam.svg  Tamil Eelam 1001350%0%100%
Flag of Occitania (with star).svg  Occitania 1001080%0%100%
Total12543563741.67%
*Includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

B team record

OpponentPldWD*LGFGA% Won% Drawn% Lost
Panjab football flag.png  Panjab 1001140%0%100%
Total1001140%0%100%
*Includes knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

International results and upcoming fixtures

15 May 2004 Åland  Flag of Aland.svg2–2Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand Åland, Finland
5 May 2012 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg1–3Flag of CSSC.svg  Chagos Islands Godalming, England
25 August 2012 Alderney  Flag of Alderney.svg1–1
(4–5 p)
Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand Saint Anne, Alderney
8 March 2013 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg2–1Flag of Alderney.svg  Alderney Godalming, England
4 July 2013 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg3–5Bicolor flag of Tamil Eelam.svg  Tamil Eelam St John's, Isle of Man
5 July 2013 Occitania  Flag of Occitania (with star).svg8–0Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand St John's, Isle of Man
7 July 2013 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg2–1Flag of Alderney.svg  Alderney St John's, Isle of Man
23 February 2014 Sealand  Flag of Sealand.svg4–2Flag of CSSC.svg  Chagos Islands Godalming, England
5 May 2014 Chagos Islands  Flag of CSSC.svg1–1
(4–3 p)
Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand Crawley, England
17 May 2014 Somaliland  Flag of Somaliland.svg2–2Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand London, England
9 August 2014 Raetia  Flag of Raetia.svg1–6Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand Chur, Switzerland
10 August 2014 Seborga Flag of the Principality of Seborga.svg2–3Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand Ospedaletti, Italy
22 December 2014 Panjab  Panjab football flag.png4–1Flag of Sealand.svg  Sealand B Smethwick, England

Coaches

Manager NatSpan G W D L GF GA Win %Honours
Christian Olsen Flag of Denmark.svg 2003–20061010220%
Neil Forsyth Flag of Scotland.svg 2009–201331114533.33%
Julian Dicks Flag of England.svg 2013310251433.33%
Ed Stubbs [12] [13] [14] Flag of Sealand.svg 2013–present7520241071.43%

Kit

Sealand's kit has the same colors as the flag of Sealand. Their original kit consisted of a red shirt with white trim, black shorts and white socks, and was provided by JJB with sponsorship from UK investment firm Property Secrets. [15]

For the Tynwald Tournament, Sealand introduced a new Nike home kit, in red, with a white stripe down the right-hand side. In the 8–0 defeat to Occitania, Sealand debuted their Stanno away kit of a white shirt with pale red shorts.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micronation</span> Self-proclaimed political entity

A micronation is a political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from de facto states and quasi-states; they are also not considered to be autonomous or self-governing as they lack the legal basis in international law for their existence. The activities of micronations are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than disputed by the established nations whose territory they claim—referred to in micronationalism as macronations. Several micronations have issued coins, flags, postage stamps, passports, medals and other state-related items, some as a source of revenue. Motivations for the creation of micronations include theoretical experimentation, political protest, artistic expression, personal entertainment and the conduct of criminal activity. The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Principality of Sealand</span> Unrecognised micronation in the North Sea

The Principality of Sealand is a micronation on HM Fort Roughs, an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately twelve kilometres off the coast of Suffolk, England. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell Sea Fort that was built by the British in international waters during World War II. Since 1967, the decommissioned Roughs Tower has been occupied and claimed as a sovereign state by the family and associates of Paddy Roy Bates. Bates seized Roughs Tower from a group of pirate radio broadcasters in 1967 with the intention of setting up his own station there. Bates and his associates have repelled incursions from vessels from rival pirate radio stations and the U.K.'s royal navy using firearms and petrol bombs. In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, which places the platform in British territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-proclaimed monarchy</span> Self-proclaimed role of power

A self-proclaimed monarchy is established when a person claims a monarchy without any historical ties to a previous dynasty. In many cases, this would make them a pretender to the throne. The self-proclaimed monarch may be of an established state, such as Zog I of Albania, or of a micronation, such as Leonard Casley of Hutt River, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monaco national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Monaco

The Monaco national football team is a national side that represents Monaco in association football. The team is controlled by the Monégasque Football Federation, the governing body for all football in Monaco. Monaco is not a member of FIFA or UEFA, and therefore cannot enter the FIFA World Cup nor the UEFA European Championship. Monaco was a founding member of the N.F.-Board in 2003, and finished second in the 2006 VIVA World Cup inaugural edition. However, due to political opposition, Monaco severed ties with the organization in 2010.

Simon Thomas Charlton is an English football coach, former player and radio summariser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N.F.-Board</span> N.F.-Board established on 12 December 2003

The N.F.-Board is a federation for football associations established on 12 December 2003. At the beginning, NFB was made up of teams that represent nations, dependencies, unrecognized states, minorities, stateless peoples, regions and micronations not affiliated to FIFA.

Richmar Siberie, also known as Rocky, is a Curaçaoan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Camporosso.

Non-FIFA international football is the segment of international football that is not overseen by FIFA. FIFA is the international governing body of association football, overseeing football globally and with running international representative matches. However, some international football takes place outside its purview. This often consists of matches involving sub-national entities such as islands, colonies, or autonomous regions. Representative matches also occur involving states with limited international recognition who are unable to qualify for FIFA membership. There are also a limited number of states whose representative teams are not affiliated to FIFA. Historically, a number of competitions occurred outside FIFA's auspices. Member associations are national associations, usually affiliated to continental confederations which are subordinate to FIFA.

The VIVA World Cup was an international association football tournament organized by the N.F.-Board, an umbrella association for teams unaffiliated with FIFA, held five times between 2006 and 2012.

The Tamil Eelam National Football Team a representative football team for Tamil Eelam. The team, which consists of professional and semi-professional drawn from the Eelam Tamil diaspora community in Canada and Europe, was established in 2012 by the Tamileelam Football Association (TEFA). TEFA is affiliated to the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, an umbrella association for entities unaffiliated with FIFA therefore cannot compete for the FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup since they are not affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). As of March 2020, the team was ranked 16th in the CONIFA World ranking.

The Chagos Islands national football team is a football team representing the territory of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. However, this area, which falls under the administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory, is uninhabited save for the presence of a US military base on the island of Diego Garcia, after the United Kingdom evicted the local population between 1967 and 1973. As a consequence, the team in fact represents the Chagossian diaspora around the world. They are led by Sussex-based manager Jimmy Ferrar, who has previously managed at Oakwood, Crawley Down and Alfold where he won the Southern Combination Div 1 for season 2018/19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonaire national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Bonaire

The Bonaire national football team is the national football team of the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a public body of the Netherlands. It is under the control of the Bonaire Football Federation. It became a member of the CFU and an associate member of CONCACAF on 19 April 2013. after which it became a full CONCACAF member on 10 June 2014 The team can participate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Caribbean Cup because of their membership in the confederation and sub-confederation. However, Bonaire is not a member of FIFA and therefore can not compete in the FIFA World Cup or other FIFA events.

The CONIFA World Football Cup is an international football tournament organized by CONIFA, an umbrella association for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA, which has been held every two years since 2014. This tournament is the successor of the Viva World Cup which was held from 2006 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seborga national football team</span>

The Seborga national football team is the team that represents the Principality of Seborga. It is not a member of FIFA or UEFA, but is an associate member of the N.F.-Board, an organisation for teams who are not members of FIFA. They were admitted to the N.F.-Board as a provisional member in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panjab football team</span>

The Panjab Football Team is a representative football team formed in 2014 in the United Kingdom to represent the Punjabi diaspora. The team is governed by the Football Association of Panjab, this is not to be confused with the Punjab Football Association, which is the state governing body of football in the Punjab state of India.

The 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup qualification is a process to decide a number of the teams that will play in the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup. Unlike the previous tournament, this will be the first one that will use a measure of qualification. The first qualification match played was on 30 May 2015 between the newly constituted Felvidék team and the team representing Alderney, with the first goal scored by Felvidék's Zoltán Novota.

The 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup qualification was the process to decide a number of the teams that will play in the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup. This is the second tournament to feature a qualification process, following on from the 2016 qualification. The first qualification match played was on 13 March 2016 between the Tamil Eelam team and the team representing the Romani people, with the first goal scored by Tamil Eelam's Panushanth Kulenthiran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gozo representative football team</span> Mens association football team representing Gozo

The Gozo representative football team represents the island of Gozo, Malta, in football. It is organised by the Gozo Football Association and its home stadium is the Gozo Stadium.

<i>How to Start Your Own Country</i> (film) 2010 Canadian documentary

How to Start Your Own Country is a 2010 Canadian documentary film directed by Jody Shapiro and written by Shapiro and Denis Seguin. Produced by Phyllis Laing and Shapiro, the film explores various aspects of micronationalism and features interviews with several prominent micronationalists. The production studios for the film are Buffalo Gal Pictures and Everyday Pictures. How to Start Your Own Country had its world premiere at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2010.

References

  1. Sealand: The national football team from a country half the size of a football pitch Archived 2023-04-19 at the Wayback Machine The Athletic. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. "Tony Incenzo And His Experience Watching Sealand". 888sport.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  3. "IBWM Fantasy football micronation style". IBWM. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. "FANTASY FOOTBALL MICRONATION STYLE". inbedwithmaradona.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  5. 1 2 "Sealand FC: The Most Unlikely Story In International Football". 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  6. "Ralf Little gets an international cap for Sealand". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  7. Taylor, Amy (11 May 2012). "Sealand and Chagos Islands play out football history". Surrey Today. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  8. "Sealand vs Alderney football result". Archived from the original on 2013-01-15.
  9. "Sealand shock Chagos Islands with record win". Non-FIFA FootballUpdates. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  10. "Sealand deny Seborga comeback in Ospedaletti". Sanremonews. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  11. Engel, Matthew (1 June 2018). "World Football Cup an alternative to Fifa and a lesson in geopolitics". Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019 via www.theguardian.com.
  12. "I Went to an International Football Match Between Two Non-Countries". vice.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  13. "Micronation prepares for Island tournament". manxradio.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  14. "Sealand and Chagos Islands play out football history". getsurrey.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  15. "Sealand's Blog". www.sealandgov.org. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.