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FC Isle of Man launches women's football team

Josh Cann
News imageFC Isle of Man A woman with a blonde ponytail stands with her back to the camera. She is wearing a football jersey and appears to be standing on a football pitch.FC Isle of Man
The new team will play six friendly matches before aiming to join a league next season.

FC Isle of Man is launching a women's football team, with open training and trial sessions due to start next month.

The club will hold the sessions at Colby AFC on Tuesday 10 November from 20:00 to 21:30.

The team plans to play six friendly matches to begin with, before a possible move into league football subject to approval.

Chairman David Pope said it was something the club "has wanted to achieve for some time".

Pope said the club wanted to give young players the chance to compete at the highest level possible "without feeling they have to leave the Isle of Man".

"Jersey and Guernsey are continually developing their sporting opportunities and there is no reason why the Isle of Man should not have similar ambitions," he said.

He stressed the new team was not intended to take players away from existing clubs.

"Our aim is not to detract from or adversely affect the local game, but to enhance it," he said.

The team will be managed by Donna Harrison, supported by Sarah Wignall and Bex Corkish, with Luke Stewart and Ruairi Mooney as coaches.

Pope said the club wanted women who love football, or who wanted to get back into the sport, to feel welcome.

"This is their opportunity to be part of something from the very beginning," he said.

Training will take place every Tuesday at Colby AFC, and the club is also looking for local businesses to sponsor the team.

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