One of England’s greatest medieval writers Geoffrey Chaucer once wrote:
“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”
In other words great things may come from small beginnings.
This is what it feels could be happening for FC Isle of Man. What was once perhaps a far fetched idea has become a more likely reality over the last 12 months.
Indubitably there has been an awful lot of hard work and dialogue invested and no word of a lie it was an emotional moment for all of the current working group when the IOMFA Club Council gave us their approval to continue investigating this project with a view to becoming affiliated to the Isle of Man FA from the season 2020/21.
Forming FC Isle of Man is like a game of football in itself, a bit like a two-legged cup tie where we need to score a certain number of goals to get the ‘win’ we need. The IOMFA vote on October 8 was our first goal.
We now need a second goal to give us more reassurance in the game, a goal that will take us one step further to actually becoming a club, not just an idea. This is namely the application process to join the FA English League System, via The North West Counties League (NWCL).
Throughout the IOMFA Affiliation vote process, we relied heavily on support from outside the working group. That support was evident from day one from the IOMFA, its member clubs, local football fans, the wider Manx community and even from the football fraternity of our preferred league system (i.e. the NWCL). The support we received was overwhelming and so gratefully received.
And now we need that support again as we strive hard for that second goal.
FC Isle of Man has the potential to provide so many opportunities, not just for the local game but for the wider Manx community as a whole. Here are a few key bullets to consider:
Football Opportunities
- Players and coaches exposed to working and improving their respective skills on a regular basis in a high-quality environment to hopefully help them fulfil their potential.
- Youth Development coaches honing their skills to ensure they continue to develop players for FC Isle of Man in the long term.
- The creation of island-based Sports Science and Administrative roles (S&C Coaches, sports physiologists, data analysts etc) which may not currently be available in local sport.
Community Opportunities
- The ability for our fans to follow a local club competing at a high-level environment – and without having to travel to see it.
- More importantly the ability for local fans to become members of a football club and have a say in the development of that club.
Business Opportunities
- Local businesses with a presence in England and the region we hope to play in may be able to widen their exposure to a wider audience.
- Those local businesses showcasing their support for a local football team.
- The creation of new local media development roles (social media, broadcast, print).
Cultural and Economic Opportunities
- Welcoming visiting clubs on a regular basis provide potential to boost our local visitor-economy during off-peak visitor periods (i.e. autumn and winter).
- Showcasing our local culture
The local community is the heart of this entire project – and always will be.
So, as we strive for goal number two, the Isle of Man community as a whole can play a great part in helping all this potential opportunity become real. By demonstrating that we have a large community backing will strengthen our build-up to ‘scoring’ that second goal.
How you may ask?
To help make this happen, show your support by heading to our Support page and following the steps there.
Thank you!
