Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

has been played in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

since the end of the 19th century. The national association was founded in 1890 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 The Isle of Man Football League is the senior football league on the Isle of Man and is run by the Isle of Man Football Association. Although the league is affiliated with The Football Association, it does not form a part of the English football ...

. Although, as a Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man is not a part of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the local Isle of Man football association is affiliated with the

English FA The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

, and acts as a

County Football Association The county football associations are the local governing bodies of association football in England and the Crown dependencies. County FAs exist to govern all aspects of football in England. They are responsible for administering club and player ...

. Due to their affiliation with the English FA, the Isle of Man are not members of

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

and are therefore not eligible to enter either the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

or European Championship. The Isle of Man therefore is limited to different forms of competition. Since 2019

F.C. Isle of Man Football Club Isle of Man ( gv, Club Sockyr Ellan Vannin) is a semi-professional football club based in Douglas, Isle of Man, that competes in the , the 9th tier of English football. Founded in 2019, the club joined the NWCFL for the 2020–21 ...

have competed within the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...

, 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.

League system

The

is the national football league for teams of the island. The league has two levels consisting of 13 teams each, the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

and Division Two. The league is organised by the

Isle of Man Football Association 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 th ...

but the winning team(s) cannot enter the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

, due to the island's lack of membership.

Cup competitions

As well as the league, there are also many domestic cups in the

: * Isle of Man FA Cup * Isle of Man Hospital Cup * Isle of Man Railway Cup (Premier League clubs only) * Paul Henry Gold Cup (Division Two clubs only) * Captain George Woods Memorial Cup (Division Two clubs only)

International football

Ellan_Vannin_-_Felvidék_-_Debrecen,_2015

The Isle of Man is not a member of

so the national team cannot enter the

European Football Championships The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...

qualifiers or the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

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

has county status within

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

. The

Isle of Man official football team 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. History T ...

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 The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent d ...

, winning silver on three occasions. The team play their home games at The Bowl in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

. In 2013 an alternative national side, the

Ellan Vannin football team 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. Unlike the Isle of Man officia ...

, composed of Manx players only. The team was created to allow entry into the

ConIFA World Cup The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA. Competitions Women's football All members of CONIFA are encouraged to in ...

Clubs

References

External links