Football Club Isle of Man (Manx: Club Sockyr Ellan Vannin)[1] is an amateur football club based in Douglas, Isle of Man, that competes in the North West Counties League Premier Division, the 9th tier of English football (Step 5). The club was founded in 2019 but did not play its first competitive match until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. F.C. Isle of Man plays their home games at The Bowl in Douglas and covers the costs of visiting clubs' and match officials' travel and hotel expenses for the games.[2]
The club is not affiliated with the Isle of Man Government; it is owned by its parent company Sporting Club Isle of Man. The club is owned by the local community, funded by the sale of various memberships which offer exclusive benefits, including early and discounted access to match day and season ticket sales.
History
In August 2019, F.C. Isle of Man confirmed their intentions to enter a team into the English football league system at step six of non-league.[3] On 8 October 2019, the club announced it had become affiliated with the Isle of Man Football Association, following the backing of clubs in the Manx football system.[4] However, there was opposition to the move from some local clubs and supporters over F.C. Isle of Man cherry-picking the best players from teams around the island and other clubs losing out on potential spectators. To ease this concern, F.C. Isle of Man kicks off its games in the later time slot of 18:30 to avoid any potential clash with the local league, which consists of 26 teams.
On 18 February 2020, St Georges manager Chris Bass was announced as the club's first manager.[5] On 7 November 2022, following a run of mixed results, an announcement was made that the club and Bass had parted company with Director of Football Paul Jones taking over from Bass until the end of the season.[6][7]
They played their inaugural match at their home ground, The Bowl, against Guernsey F.C. in the summer of 2020, competing for the newly formed Skipton Cup; the match ended in a 1–0 victory for F.C. Isle of Man. The attendance was estimated at 2,700 and the first goal scorer was Jack McVey by penalty in 33rd minute.
Wem Town advised the NWCFL that they were withdrawing from the league for season 2021/2022 which enabled F.C. Isle of Man to enter the NWCFL for the start of the 2021–22 NWCFL Division One South season. F.C. Isle of Man played their first competitive league match against Maine Road F.C. on 31 July 2021, with Frank Jones scoring the club's first competitive goal after 8 minutes. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[11] Their first season ended in success as despite a second-placed finish, a 4–2 victory over New Mills FC on 16 April 2022, saw the club promoted to the ninth tier of English football through the play-offs.[12] The Ravens completed the season with a second piece of silverware winning the First Division Cup Edward Case Cup.
During February 2023 the club began the process to find a permanent manager for the 2023-24 campaign. With Paul Jones still in his interim role the club were keen to ensure that should he wished, Jones would be able to apply for the job on a full-time basis.[13]
On April 24, 2023, following the conclusion of the recruitment process, the club confirmed that Jones had been appointed to the post full-time with effect from that date.[14]
Colours and crest
F.C. Isle of Man play their home games in a red and black strip with the sponsors logo displayed in white, and their away games in either a blue and white, or green and blue kit.[citation needed]
In July 2020, Hope & Glory was announced as the club's kit manufacturer and the club asked supporters to vote via social media on three different kit options.[15] After a 10-day voting period, option one was the favourite choice of the official supporters, garnering 55% of the vote.[16]
On 27 February, F.C. Isle of Man unveiled their club crest, stating "In line with the philosophy of our parent company Sporting Club Isle of Man, the crest has been carefully crafted to not only reflect the essence of our Island's history, colours and community but also, importantly, to represent our confident sporting approach."[17] Featuring a black raven in an attack posture, one of the island's national birds, synonymous to the Celts and Vikings with battle, intelligence and problem solving. The crest also includes red and white colours, which represent the island's sunsets and Manannán's cloak. The four water lines represent the four sides of the Island, symbolising unity and community.[15][18]
The club's motto, "Bee ny Share" also features on the club's crest and sleeve of the shirt, which is Manx for "Be Better".[17]
The crest did not include the triskelion of the Island's national flag and coat of arms. In an interview published on the website of the North West Counties Football League, then sporting director Paul Jones stated, "We also decided early on not to use the 3 legs of man. This was to ensure we differentiated ourselves from the National teams. The 3 legs is subtly included in our kit but we felt being on the badge could send the wrong message. We needed to make sure we promote ourselves as a club not a national team."[18]
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
The club signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Manx Telecom, a local telecoms provider.[19] Manx Telecom's IT infrastructure and managed services subsidiary Synapse 360 will appear on the away shirts.[20] On 30 July 2020, F.C. Isle of Man announced a three-year deal with Rex Motor Company to become the team's first sleeve sponsor.[21] On 23 May 2022 it was announced that the club would sport a third kit for the 2022-23 season, which would be sponsored by OV powered by Manx Telecom and include Rex Motor Company on the sleeve[22]
The club is well supported on its island home, frequently pulling in crowds that are larger than the league average for steps 5 and 6. In their first season in the North West Counties First Division South they recorded an average home attendance of 1,612, which compared favourably to the league average for the season of 214.[23] In the 2022-23 season the average attendance fell to 758 compared to the league average of 281.[24]
At the beginning of the 2022-23 season supporters of the club started to be referred to as "The Conspiracy", in reference to one of the collective nouns for a group of Ravens. The first record of the terms usage was in a supporter's pre-season report on the supporters group's Facebook page on 23 July 2023,[25] but the term was adopted by more mainstream media outlets in their reporting later in the season.[26]
Mascot
Raymond P. Raven at the Bernabowl, Douglas, Isle of Man
The official mascot of F.C. Isle of Man is a generic bear, which is of uncertain origin and is trotted out at various sporting events around the Island. For a team nicknamed the Ravens, a group of supporters deemed a bear to be a wholly inappropriate mascot and thus the unofficial mascot, Raymond P. Raven was born. Attending every home game, and even travelling away to AFC Darwen on 2 May 2022, and to Kendal Town on 4 February 2023, Raymond has become a firm fan favourite, and is widely considered to be the most known mascot in Manx sport.
Frank Jones was announced as the first Captain of F.C. Isle of Man. He was sidelined with an injury sustained during the first league match against Maine Road F.C. (in which he scored the opening goal) after which Jack McVey and Chris Bass Jr were called upon to share the captaincy for the rest of the season. Top goalscorer Sean Doyle was chosen as Captain in 2022, but in a carbon copy of the previous season, suffered an injury in the first league game against Lower Breck F.C. Team captaincy was initially shared between Sean Quaye, Chris Bass Jr and Jack McVey, before Steve Whitley took over the armband for 20 games. Before the season ended, both Sean Doyle and Frank Jones returned from injury and took over captaincy.
Managerial statistics (League, Play Offs & Various Cup Competitions), to 13 January 2024. (Note - whilst not a formal appointment, former F.C. Isle of Man player, Alex Harrison was temporary manager for the home game against West Didsbury & Chorlton A.F.C. on 25 March 2023, due to Paul Jones being unavailable. The result was a 2-2, and is included in Paul Jones interim figures below).
Highest victory: 10–2, against St Martins F.C. (2 November 2021)
Home attendance: 3,230, against New Mills A.F.C. (16 April 2022)
Goals (total): 59, by Sean Doyle (up to 13 January 2024)
Goals (season): 41, by Sean Doyle (2021–22)
Ownership and finances
F.C. Isle of Man is owned by parent company Sporting Club Isle of Man, a club owned by the local community, through purchasing various memberships.[31]
