Introducing the Falklands’ opponents at the 2023 Guernsey International Island Games: Isle of Man (1/3)

The Falklands will face Isle of Man, Ynys Mon and Shetland in Group 2 of this year’s International Island Games in Guernsey (9-14 July). Introducing the three opponents for the football team, Isle of Man to begin with.

The defending champion, no more and no less. At the last Island Games where football was present in 2017 in Gotland, Sweden (there was no football competition at the 2019 edition in Gibraltar), the Isle of Man crushed Greenland in the final (6-0) to win their first title. They had beaten the Falklands in the group stage (5-2). Samuel Toolan had equalised (6th) just after Isle of Man’s opening goal in the 5th minute, but four more goals followed (8th, 19th, 39th, 47th) before Toolan (again) reduced the gap (68th).

Their first participation dates back to 1993, with a second place finish. Three more runner-up finishes followed (1999, 2003 and 2015) before the 2017 Island Championship title. Their record is more than positive in ten participations so far: 45 games, 25 wins, 4 draws, 16 defeats, 137 goals scored and 72 conceded.

The team play their home games at The Bowl in Douglas. 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.

This will also be the fourth meeting with the Falkland Islands. The first three were victorious with an aggregate score of 20-1 (+19)! The first meeting between the two teams was at the 2001 Island Games in the Isle of Man. Hulocho opened the scoring for Falklands in the first minute, but the home side went on to score nine goals in an emphatic 9-1 victory! The second clash took place four years later at the Shetland Games. The score was almost identical: 9-0! In 2009 in Åland, the match was much closer. The Falklands only lost 2-1 on occasion. A sign of the progress made in four years.

Blane Slattery (team manager): « We’re aiming to win at Island Games« 

The Isle of Man men’s national football squad will be aiming to take top spot at the 2023 Island Games in Guernsey. That’s according to the team’s manager, Blane Slattery, who says his main focus is to get his team in shape for the games taking place from 8-14 July next year. There are hopes the squad can get in a number of matches earlier in the new year as part of preparations.d

In an interview with local radio station Manx, the team manager Blane Slattery said he knows it won’t be an easy task in Guernsey, but he’s confident in the ability of his players: « We will go there as defending champions and my aim is to win it again. That’s something the players are really passionate about. We are all on the same wavelength to go there and win but I’m under no illusion about how hard it will be. » A tough opponent for the Falklands, no doubt.